Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

We all have heard about the person who gets 3 wishes and we wonder what we would ask for were we given the opportunity. However, that has only ever happened once in history and that was when God gave Solomon one wish for what he wanted. Instead of asking for riches or power, Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God’s people – a very wise choice on his part. God thought so as well for not only did he grant Solomon great wisdom, He also promised he would make him wealthy. Solomon ended up wise, wealthy and very popular.

Wisdom is something we all should ask for, were we given a wish by God. Nothing is more important than being able to make wise choices and godly decisions. What’s nice to know, though, is that God will give us wisdom if we ask for it (James 15). It’s available for us as well. God promises it.

So then why do we make some very foolish decisions and destructive choices? Simply because we aren’t using God’s wisdom, we are using our own human understanding and that is very undependable. Even Solomon did the same thing when he took 700 wives and 300 concubines and turned to idolatry. He tried to find satisfaction in women, work, pleasure, riches., etc. – but none of it succeeded. He wrote about this in the book of Ecclesiastes. Even very wise people can err when they go by their wisdom instead of God’s wisdom.

The choice is ours. How we can ever think we know more or better than God is mind-boggling. But too often we do. Thankfully God is patient to forgive, restore and even turn use our bad choices to bring about good (Romans 8:28). Each day, though, we should ask God to grant the one wish He delights to give – godly wisdom.

Scripture
Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Proverbs 3:13-15, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”

Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

1 Corinthians 3:18-21, “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a ‘fool’ so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’; and again, ‘The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.’”

James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Reflect

• Think of some times when you made decisions or choices without consulting God and going by His wisdom. What were the consequences?
• Where do you need God’s wisdom in your life today? How will you know if you have it?
• Take a few minutes now to pray and ask God for His wisdom in all your choices and decisions in life. Thank Him for it.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

Who can figure God out? First, He says His people need to be holy and set apart from sin. Then He says that a man who was an adultery, murderer and admittedly poor father is a man after His own heart? So which is it? How can both be true? Yet they are, aren’t they. David is called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). Yet David’s sins are apparent, and they aren’t minor.

Perhaps we should ask just what it means to be a man after God’s heart, for that is something for which we all should aspire. Obviously we’re not talking about sinless perfection. Paul seems to come the closest to this in the New Testament, and clearly wasn’t sinless, either – before or after salvation. So what does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart.

I think it means having a heart the same as God’s. Therefore having our desires, our motives, our goals, our values and our priorities line up with God’s. It means loving what He loves, hating what He hates, and looking at life as He looks at life. It is having His biblical world view of things in our minds and His love or righteousness and hate of sin in our hearts. You may see it differently, but I’ll stick with that definition because, in effect, it means being like Jesus. That is God’s ultimate goal for all of us – to be more Christ-like.

So can we be a man or woman who is after God’s own heart but still sin? Of course. John clearly reminds us that we won’t stop sinning (I John 1:8, 10) and Paul experienced this in his life as well (Romans 7). That means that you and I can be after God’s own heart. After all, a heart is internal, so its not external actions God is most concerned about. Just being like God externally is hypocrisy and we know how God feels about that. But if my heart beats with His heart, for the things His heart beats for, then I am after God’s own heart.

Oh what a wonderful goal in life, what a worthy dream to follow, to have a heart like God. That should be the desire of each and every one of us. What could be better than to have the mind of Christ and the heart of God?

Scripture
1 Samuel 13:14, “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

Acts 13:22, “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’”

1 Peter 3:3-4, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

1 Corinthians 2:16, “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Reflect

• In what ways have you seen your values and goals line up with God’s in the years since you became a Christian?
• Where do you struggle most with being Christ like in thoughts and actions? What can you do about it today?
• Spend some time in worship thanking God that you can become more like Him and for His perfect, wonderful character to emulate.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

We all have choices to make in life: decisions about how we will adjust to what happens to us and attitude modifications as our faith gets stretched. For most of us these come in the form of negative, painful life experiences. For a few, though, like Saul, it comes through very good things happening.

Saul’s only claim to fame was that he was tall and good-looking, so everyone thought he would make a good king. But Samuel was a shy introvert, insecure and fearful of the spotlight. That’s why he hid when they wanted to make him king. We all know his story, how he was impatient and disobedient and eventually lost his life and his throne because of not obeying God. Instead of trusting God when he found himself in an rough place, outside his comfort zone, and asking God to help him rule the people, he let his fear and insecurity control him.

Thus his whole focus was on protecting himself, keeping control of his power, watching out for anyone who may have been a threat to him and reacting instead of acting. Envy, jealousy and manipulation characterized his life. Some times he would turn to God’s prophets for guidance, but more often he would turn to pagan gods for help. What a sad waste of a life.

So why did God choose him to be king? God wanted to show the people that judging a person solely by their outward appearance is wrong. God also wants to teach Saul that He could be trusted to be there for Saul and to help him rule as God wanted him to. Sadly, neither Saul nor the people learned their lesson.

Sscripture
1 Samuel 16:7, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Psalms 23:1-5, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Reflect

• How often do you form opinions of someone by their appearance and your first impression of their personality? How often have you been wrong about the person when doing so?
• When are you most guilty of judging someone by outward appearances?
• How do you respond when put in a situation that is outside your comfort zone?
• How sensitive are you to criticism? How often do you find yourself jealous or envious?
• Ask God to help you see today’s challenges as opportunities to trust Him for your needs.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

We seem to hear a lot about servanthood today and how God wants His people to be servants. Naturally we all consider ourselves to be servants. We believe we put others first and sacrifice for the needs of those who aren’t as well off as we are. And that may be true. But in the Bible there is the story of a woman who truly was a servant.

Ruth wasn’t a Jew. She was from Moab. When her future husband came to her country to live and asked her to be his wife she thought life would go on like it had for others. But that wasn’t the way God had it planned for her. Her husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law all died because they were out of God’s will in leaving Israel and turning to Gentiles. Thus Ruth found herself a young widow. Women then who weren’t married didn’t have many options, certainly no wholesome ones.

The smart thing for Ruth to do would be to return to her home town for she was young enough to remarry and have a husband and family. However her mother-in-law, Naomi, had no one so Ruth stayed with her. Ruth loved Naomi and her God as well. She committed herself to both of them, even though it meant moving to a strange land and living as an outsider in a foreign culture. In addition, this culture was one in which men were forbidden to marry Gentile women. So what future was there for Ruth in Israel? Still, she went.

Fortunately, God has provided for the needs of the poor by saying they could go into fields after they had been harvested and collect any grain that had been left. It was hard work, but at least there would be something to eat. So that’s what Ruth did to provide for Naomi and herself. It wouldn’t provide enough for the months ahead, but at least they could eat while the grain lasted.

Ruth was willing to give up everything to serve Naomi. She did it out of love. God saw this and smiled on her. So did Boaz, who owned the field where she gathered the grain. Boaz was so impressed by Ruth’s service to Naomi that he married her. God blessed her as well. She had a son named Obed who had a son named Jesse who had a son named David. Thus Ruth the Gentile widow ended up as an ancestor of Jesus Himself. Ruth was willing to give up everything to serve God. But when a person does that, God always out gives them. God always blesses those who are willing to serve Him. Jesus was the ultimate servant, and we’re never more like Him than when we are serving.

Scripture
Ruth 1:16-18, “But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.’ When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

Matthew 20:26-28, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 9:35, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

John 13:14-16, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

Reflect

• When your friends think of those who are servants, will you come to mind?
• Who is it hardest for you to serve? Why?
• When is it hardest for you to serve? Why?
• What can you do today to improve your service to others?
• Pray and ask God to give you opportunities to serve others and Him today.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

One of the favorite New Testament stories for children is The Good Samaritan. Everyone knows how the Samaritan responds to another in need. That is why he is called “good.” But what exactly does “good” mean other than the opposite of “bad” how would we define good?

Goodness is defined as praiseworthy character; moral excellence. The Bible speaks often of the goodness of God (Ex 33:19; Rom 2:4). God’s goodness consists of righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, mercy, and love. Goodness is also one of the fruits of the Spirit that should characterize Christian believers (Gal 5:22). Christians are called to goodness, even as God the Father is perfect and good (Matt 5:48). Goodness differs from the previous fruit, kindness, in that kindness is an outer action and goodness is the heart attitude that causes that action.

When used of God, “goodness” sometimes is used as a summary of all His attributes (Exodus 33:19). Goodness is all God is. To the extent that we are “good” we are like God. When we are lovable, virtuous and righteous we are like God.

Goodness can not be separated from holiness. Holiness of life will always expresses itself in always of doing what is in the best interest of others. Moral Goodness is not optional, to keep the Commandments and God’s Word must be a high priority. We must conform to all God’s laws and principles. Holiness is not listed as a fruit of the Spirit, for it is part of goodness. When we are holy we are good, when we are good we are holy.

There is a difference between being good and doing good. Being good comes when God’s Spirit indwells us at the moment of salvation. Doing good is the acting out of that inner goodness in everyday life. Being good is the holiness of Jesus that God gives us at salvation. Doing good is living a holy life in all we think, say and do. In essence, only God is good. But when He lives in us then we have His goodness, the fruit of His Spirit, which works through us.

The “good” Samaritan is a fine example to all of us of what happens when God’s goodness reigns in the heart. His love flows out of us to those around us. The good Samaritan wasn’t unique – we can and should all be like Him when God’s Spirit lives within.

Scripture
Psalms 25:8, “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.”

Romans 15:14, “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.”

Reflect

• What comes to mind when you think of holiness? Where would you say God’s holiness is most evident in your life? Where do you need God’s help to be more like Him?
• Think of some ways you can show God’s goodness to others through your actions today. What are they?
• Ask God to fill you with His Spirit today and have Him manifest the fruit of goodness in your life.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

What do Pharaoh’s daughter rescuing Moses, Rahab helping the Jewish spies, David’s treatment of Mephibosheth and Elijah’s response to the woman whose son just died have in common? They all were showing kindness.

Kindness can be defined as God’s loyal love and favor toward His people. In the Old Testament, the word translated as “kindness” or “lovingkindness” refers to God’s long-suffering love — His determination to keep His promises to His chosen people in spite of their sin and rebellion (Deut 7:12; Hos 2:14-23). This attribute of God was shown through His divine mercy and forgiveness toward sinners when payment of sins through the sacrificial system was no longer effective (Deut 22:22; Ps 51:1).

In the New Testament, the Greek word translated as “grace” best represents the idea of God’s kindness or lovingkindness. Because God has been gracious toward believers, they should treat all people with kindness or grace (Luke 6:35). All people are created in God’s image and should be treated accordingly, no matter how badly they have twisted and deformed that image (James 3:9). Kindness is not an apathetic response to sin, but a deliberate act to bring the sinner back to God (Hos 2:14-23; Rom 2:4).

God wants us to be kind to others because He is kind to us. Our kindness shows His kindness to others, and in doing so we become more like Him. Whenever we show love or compassion to others we are being kind. To an extend man can do that out of their old nature, but to show real kindness requires the presence and power of His Spirit for it means being kind to those who aren’t deserving of it and may retaliate with hate. Turning the cheek in love can’t be done without God’s power.

How can we become more kind? First, we need to submit to the will of God (Philippians 2:1-8). If we can’t submit to God’s will we won’t be able to submit to the needs of others. Then, we need a teachable spirit (James 1:21). We need to be open to instruction to make us more like Jesus. If we think we know it all already we will never grow more like Him. Finally, we need to have a consideration and love of others (Ephesians 4:1-2). We need to be able to put ourselves in other’s shoes and be sensitive to their needs.

Kindness is love in operation so others can see Jesus in us. We deeply appreciate God’s kindness to others. Others can experience His kindness through us.

Scripture
Proverbs 14:21, “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.”

Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Reflect

• Who comes to mind when you think of people who are kind? What is there about them that makes them stand out from others? (Make a list of traits or characteristics.)
• How do you measure up to the list you just make?
• Are you so focused on leading your ministry that you neglect doing little kind things for others?
• Pick 2 or 3 of the traits you lack and pray about them, asking God to produce them in your life. Then make a list of things you can do today to meet these.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

The annual cost of those who run red lights is over $7 billion dollars. This includes medical bills, car repairs, etc. The average time saved by running a red light is less than 50 seconds. So why do so many do it? Impatience.

Patience is a fruit, a product of God’s Spirit. It isn’t part of the equipment we are born with. Have you ever met a patient newborn? No one has to learn how to be impatient. We are automatically made that way – its part of our self-centered sin nature.

A French proverb says, “Laziness is often mistaken for patience.” Perhaps the opposite is also true, patience is often mistaken for laziness. A mother once chided her doctor, when her daughter was ill and she was worried. “Why don’t you do something?” she asked. “I am doing something,” replied the doctor. “I am waiting.” Many of us have trouble determining when we are being patient and when we are being lazy.

We can define patience as bearing difficulties without complaint, trusting in a greater reason or purpose behind them. The Bible uses four different Greek words that are translated in various ways as patience. Each of these words emphasizes one aspect in one way or another of what we think of as patience. Paul said the fruit of the Spirit is “makrothymia.” This is a compound Greek word made up of the words “makro” meaning long, and “thymia” meaning anger. So literally it means LONG TO ANGER as opposed to “oxythymia” which means sudden anger. Longsuffering gives us the picture a person who in relation to those who annoy, oppose, or molest him, exercise patience. He refuses to yield to passion or to outbursts of anger.

What’s so great about patience? Why does God want us to be patient? One reason is because He wants us to be like Him and He is patient (2 Peter 3:9). Another reason is because He knows it is best for us to patiently trust and wait.

Every fruit I know of has a protective outer layer. We peel a banana or orange to eat the fruit inside. Others fruit like an apple or grape we will eat skin and all. The outer layer serves an important purpose; it helps keep the moisture inside the fruit, even in dry seasons. The outer peel will also protect the fruit and allow it to grow. If the outer peel or skin is broken or removed, then the fruit will rot and spoil. Patience is like that for the soul of man. Patience protects our hearts from becoming rancid—bitter and rotten to the core. God wants our lives to be sweet and appealing to others; that’s the purpose of the fruit of the Spirit to give our lives the aroma and taste of Jesus! The practical practice of patience restores and protects relationships. Godly patience enables us to show mercy instead of hate, to forgive instead of seek revenge. “Patience is the ability to put up with people you’d like to put down.”

Patience is love enduring; it’s love that lasts and won’t be broken by anger. We are to be patient; with a long fuse we give allowances for each other’s faults and shortcomings. It only comes from staying closely attached to Jesus, the vine (John 15:5). Then when trials come it means we place our faith in Him and default to His timing instead of taking things into our own hands (Romans 5:3; James 1:2-4).

Patience is not idleness; it doesn’t mean you do nothing. Patience is active. The patient man is always ready to meet his neighbor halfway; instead of building fences, patience builds bridges to maintain relationships. Further, patience is not simply a character trait or quality an individual may possess. PATIENCE IS A LIFESTYLE! It is a way of life that affects all our relationships. Patience is an expression of love because love is patient. Patience, being slow to anger enables us to live a good life. Patience will keep us from embarrassing ourselves by what we say or do.

Scripture
Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Isaiah 40:31, “They that WAIT on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Reflect

• Would those who know you best say you are a patient person? Why or why not?
• What seems to make you most impatient? What can you do about that?
• Are there any particular people who seem to bring out impatience in you? Why?
• Ask God to show you any impatience you may have within you now, then confess it as sin and ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and patience.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

Peace. We often talk about it but don’t always understand it. Sometimes we think of it as calm circumstances, a time when there aren’t external difficulties or stresses. Thus peace is the absence of trouble. Perhaps that is why we so often try to control our environment and pray for God to remove anything that stretches us. But there is a big difference between everything going OK in life and real peace deep within. We seldom live with circumstances perfect, but we can always have peace within, no matter what storms rage without.

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. Shalom’s basic meaning is wholeness and well-being in all areas of life. Real shalom isn’t something that we can produce ourselves any more than we can whip up unconditional love or deep joy. It has to come from God’s Spirit. It is His fruit. It is an inner contentment, an attitude of faith in God despite what we face in life.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace because He alone brings peace. He isn’t called the Prince of Love or Hope, although He could have been. God blesses His people with peace (Psalm 29:11) because Jesus provided it on the cross (Ephesians 2:13-14).

The fruit of the Spirit is peace. Remember first, it’s FRUIT not fruits. Love is the blossom; peace is love trusting. God has placed His Spirit, His love within our lives. Therefore, while we may still live within a world in desperate need of peace, we trust God with absolute confidence for He is our peace.

Second, don’t forget it is the fruit of the SPIRIT, not the fruit of the saints. We cannot produce the fruit. This is spiritual fruit, and peace is only produced in our lives as we are connected to Jesus. He is the life giving vine by which we receive His Spirit in our lives. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing,” but when we are connected to Him we will “bear much fruit.” (See: John 15:5).

The first step to having peace in your life is to be connected to Jesus. Jesus went to the cross and died in your place. Jesus suffered torture and the most brutal of deaths to restore peace in your life. Therefore first we have peace WITH God (Romans 5:1), for the enmity is removed by the cross and He accepts us because Jesus paid for our sins. Then we have peace FROM God (Phil 4:7).

Scripture
Ephesians 2:13-14, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…”

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Reflect

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how much peace do you have in your life now? What is keeping it from being a 10? What do you need to do to make it a 10?
• Is your first response to trouble to try and control circumstances or ask God for His peace?
• Are your expectations for yourself or your ministry too high? Are you putting stress on yourself because you are evaluating your effectiveness by human standards?
• Where do you need peace in your life right now? Ask Him for it now.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

Gideon exhibits all the characteristics of someone with a poor self image. He was hiding in a pit when God’s messenger found him and sarcastically called him a “mighty warrior.” He said he was the least qualified person in the least qualified tribe to serve God. He even demanded using a fleece to make God prove Himself – twice!

When he did obey God he carried out his orders in the dark of night so he wouldn’t be seen, then he needed his unbelieving father to protect him from negative public opinion. So why did God choose a man like this? Because God chooses the weak in this world to carry out His plan for then He gets the credit and not the vessel (1 Corinthians 4:13).

Why does He choose you to do a job that you feel totally incapable of doing instead of someone who seems much better suited for the task? God does it so we depend on Him. If we could do something in our own strength, that’s what we would do. But if we know can’t do it we will turn to Him for help and we will depend on Him instead. It’s that simple, you think we’d have caught on by now.

But we don’t. Even Moses complained that he wasn’t able to lead the Jews when God spoke to him at the burning bush and sent him back to Egypt. God did the same thing with Gideon. He even made sure Gideon was out numbered by something like 300 to 1 so it would be clear God won the battle and not Gideon. And God certainly did win. But He used Gideon to do it.

God is a jealous God and He wants us to make sure we know He is the one who accomplishes good and not us. That keeps us from pride, the sin that first brought Satan down. However we can have “pride” in our inability as well. Self-focus can come from thinking we are better than others, but also by thinking we are worse than other. Seeing ourselves as less than God created us is just as sinful as seeing ourselves as more. Self-depreciation can be as bad as self-exaltation. In fact it can be worse for it is more subtle and even can hide behind Christian “humility” when really it is a self-absorbed as the most overt boastfulness. So don’t think of yourself more highly than you should (Romans 12:3) but also don’t think of yourself more lowly than you should either.

Scripture
Judges 6:15, “‘But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’”

Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Reflect

• What is God asking you to do or be now that you think is impossible?
• List some times when you faced impossible tasks but, with God’s help, you were able to accomplish what needed to be done.
• What can you learn from these times?
• When is the last time you took credit for something God did? How can you prevent this from happening in the future?
• Would your friends say you think too much of yourself? What about thinking too little of yourself?
• Why is thinking less of yourself than God thinks of you a sin?

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

Even today it isn’t easy for a woman to be a leader, but in the times of the Judges it was almost unheard of. Deborah was such a woman. Her story is in Judges 4 and 5. She was the spokeswoman for God. Even though Barak was the leader of the army, he wouldn’t do anything without her. He lacked courage to lead. Deborah trusted in God and had courage to be used by God however he chose.

Not only did God use Deborah, he also used another woman, Jael, to kill Sisera the general of the army of Hazor. She showed lots of courage and ingenuity in luring him into her tent then driving a tent spike through his temple when he was asleep. Clearly these women get the credit for the Jews victory over their enemies.

There are several clear lessons from this event. Not only can and will God use women, He will use anyone who is available and willing to serve Him. It’s not our ability that God looks for – He can give that to anyone He wants. It’s our availability He requires.

We also learn from Deborah the importance of courage. Both these women risked their lives in following God. Had anything gone wrong they would have been killed. Following God is not risk free. Even today there are dangers and threats for those who would be servants of God. Being courageous doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid, but it means we don’t let our fear keep us from doing what needs to be done. Courage isn’t being fearless but it is having victory over our fear. There will always be obstacles in our lives – opportunities to fear. But when there is an opportunity to fear there is also an opportunity to trust. Which is it for you?

Scripture
Judges 4:9, “‘Very well,’ Deborah said, ‘I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.’”

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Acts 20:24, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Romans 8:14-15, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”

1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Reflect

• Do you ever look down on someone, thinking God can’t or won’t use them for a special ministry?
• Do others think you show courage in serving the Lord?
• Where or when do you have the hardest time showing courage? When you get the most afraid?
• What can you do about it?

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!