Verse of the day: Judges 8:4, When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
The markings of a true servant of God is often how worn out he/she is in their service to Him. Let us be real for a moment. Serving the Lord is not easy. When we surrender to do what God has called us to do, the battle becomes real. When we find ourselves in the center of God’s will, we find ourselves in the heat of battle; that my brothers and sister is a tiring, sometimes stressful, physically, spiritually, emotionally challenging, and often thankless. When we are faithful in our service, we will encounter days when we just want to quit, from being depressed. We will often wonder, “What’s the point of all this?” “I don’t seem to be making any real progress, and people just don’t appreciate all this effort.” It may seem that way, but today I say to you, “Do not give up.” The reality of serving God is that we are soldiers in the Lord’s army, and spiritual warfare is not easy. In physical war, we have the ability to see our enemy, but in spiritual warfare, we do not; we can only see the workings and results of their tactics. Gideon’s men were exhausted. Yet, they continued to pursue the enemy until the enemy was completely defeated. What does this mean for us? It means that we stay in the fight until the Lord returns or until He takes us home to be with Him. I must ask this question, “When we are exhausted from the backstabbing, the betrayal, and the lack of gratitude that we experience as God’s servants, where and to whom do we turn to?” If it is anything or anyone other than Jesus, I can tell you right now, without knowing you, that you are not recovering very well. Jesus said this in Matthew 11:28-30, Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus not only gives us rest from us trying, in vain, to gain eternal life of our own accord and works, but He also gives us rest when we need it as we serve Him. Prayer and being in God’s Word is sometimes one of the most difficult places to turn to during those times when we are at wits’ end. There are times, when we are depressed and struggling, that we know we need to pray, but prayer seems like a burden. Knowing the answers that we need are in God’s Word, we often avoid it as if the Bible weighed a ton and was too heavy to pick up. This, my brothers and sisters, is spiritual warfare. The enemy knows that the worst position they can find themselves in is facing a born again Christian who is prayed up, studied up, and refreshed in Christ. Even when we are at the most exhausting place in our walk with the Lord, we have the ability, in Him, to go that extra mile for the sake of God’s glory. As Gideon tried to find provision for him men, all he received was rejection (v. 6-9). Gideon, rather than engage those who rejected his pleas for help, kept his eyes on the mission God sent him and his 300 men on. He trusted that the Lord would allow him to repay them in kind sometime in the near future and marched forward to finish the work God sent him and his men to accomplish. This proved to be the best course, as Gideon and his men were later afforded the opportunity to take vengeance on those who tried to hinder their progress (v. 13-17). The bottom line is that the enemy will do all he and his demons can do to discourage us from continuing in God’s service by trying to trip us up and by using others to bring trials and disappointment into our lives. However, the Word of God says in Galatians 6:9-10, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Isaiah 40:31 promises, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Know this, regardless of what we encounter in our service to the Lord, regardless of how discouraged we get from the attitudes or struggles we may encounter, 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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