Scripture: Judges 8:1 & 1 Cor. 15:58
Judges 8: 1 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply.
1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Observation: Isn’t it amazing! The first verse always gets me. These two verses, the first and last (like book ends) from today’s reading, strike an interesting point.
First of all, Gideon gets shameful treatment from his own countrymen. They don’t care that he just delivered them by winning a great victory against their oppressive enemies. They viciously criticize him. And note that at this point the battle isn’t even over yet! They are still in hot pursuit of the enemy. So these critics from Ephraim are not only harassing the hero, they are impeding the fight.
The final verse ties in nicely. Paul encourages all of us to look at our motivation for serving. Paul says that no matter what, there is a good purpose for working for the Lord.
Application: The simple fact is that if you do anything worth doing, there will be the complainers, the critics, and the whiners. Like Gideon, those who accomplish much for God and his people often find themselves personally assailed by those who should thank them. How discouraging that is! I think of Gideon. Here he just fought and won a great battle against overwhelming odds and his “friends” come out and tell him they don’t like how he did it! Thanks for nothing! How frustrating. How discouraging. They should be praising and thanking Gideon but all they do is tear him down. Unfortunately, this kind of experience is all too common. Good people that serve God often suffer because their own people don’t support them and find fault with them.
The primary message here is to pay attention to who it is you are serving and why you serve. If you’re doing it for the praise of men, you will be disappointed and disillusioned. So you have to keep God at the center of your heart and thinking. We serve to please God, not men. Even those who may directly benefit from what we do are not to be the primary motivation. We must serve to please God. If we keep pleasing the Lord as our primary motivation, the ingratitude of people, though it may discourage us, will not stop us. I remember a little saying:
Prayer: Father, I want to please You and to keep You as the center and focus of all that I do. Help me not to allow the criticism of others shape or diminish my motivation and ministry. My hope is in You and You alone. And help me to express gratefulness and support to those who minister to me. Thank You for the call and privilege of serving You. May I do it faithfully, regardless of the opposition.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
2 comments:
I don't want anyone to think that I am feeling at all unappreciated by those I have the privilege to serve. I am blessed to have a leadership team and a congregation that is very supportive and encouraging of Cynthia and me. Of course there are exceptions to this from time to time but that is because people are people and we all fail.
I immediately thought about the need to Pray for our Pastor, and other leaders. Perhaps we don't always show appreciation or gratitude, but we at least need to lift them up to the Lord, for what they do is of our benefit even though it is motivated by pleasing God and not man.
Amen Pastor, and thank you for your love for the Lord!
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