| March 2 | | | | | Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. | | | | Judges 11:1 | | | | Talk about an unlikely hero! Jephthah was the result of his father’s relations with a harlot. In Jephthah’s time and culture, being born illegitimately carried a terrible social stigma. Wherever he went, he would be the butt of jokes, teased and taunted. Yet in Hebrews 11, Jephthah’s name is recorded for all eternity as one of the giants of faith, one of the heroes of God’s people.
Dear brother, precious sister - regardless of your past, no matter your reputation, if God used Jephthah, He can use you - for God loves to use the most unlikely, unqualified people.
“Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug,” declares the Lord (see Isaiah 51:1). In other words, “Consider where you’ve come from. And upon the basis of what I have already done in your life, look forward to how I will bless you and make your life fruitful in the future.”
Every one of us was brought out of the pit, gang. There are no exceptions.
Look at Abraham. Even after he was called by God, even after he was ordained to be the father of faith, he still wavered, foundered, and fell. Fearing Pharaoh, he lied not once, but twice about his wife in order to save his own skin (Genesis 12 and 20).
Look at Moses. After he was called into ministry, he murdered a man, buried him in the sand, and ran for his life to the desert (Exodus 2).
Look at Jonah. He was called by God to usher in the world’s greatest revival. But when the Ninevites began to acknowledge God and repent, Jonah was totally discouraged, wishing the Ninevites would have been blasted instead of blessed (Jonah 3 and 4).
Look at Peter. After spending three years with Jesus, watching His miracles, hearing His teaching, sharing meals with Him, conversing constantly with Him, he stood by the fire of the enemy and denied ever knowing Him (John 18).
Look at Paul. He was a man so cruel and callous, so barbaric and brutal that when he finally did get saved, the early Church initially refused to believe it (Acts 9).
Look at John Mark. After receiving a call to the mission field, he got homesick and hightailed it back home (Acts 15:38).
No matter where you look in the Word, you will find individuals who were once in the pit, but brought out of the pit by the One who had no fault whatsoever - Jesus Christ Himself.
Knowing this allows me to move on. I can say, “Lord, in spite of my failures, I’m still moving on in You according to Your grace, mercy, and love.” Second, it allows me to reach out. When other people fail and fall, instead of coming down on them, talking about them, or finding fault with them, I’m free to reach out in love to them.
Folks, that tough guy, who seems so hopeless and so out of it to you, might be the next Jephthah in a future move of God. That fellow you think is bizarre, raunchy, or rude just might be the man God is tapping on the shoulder to lead the next revival. |
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