And he put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean.  And immediately the leprosy departed from him.    Luke 5:12, 13

There’s nothing like being in dire need or trouble and reaching out to someone who can help, but is not willing.  It’s almost equally frustrating to have someone who is willing but just not able to help.

Not only is Jesus able, having all power to do exceeding, abundantly above all we can ask or think, but he is also willing to do just that on our behalf.  In the Luke 5 story, and also in the previous chapter, Peter also finds out just how willing Jesus is to help him.  He already knew that Jesus was able to do amazing things, but when Jesus worked miracles for Peter and his family, he realized that he’s not only awesome and powerful, but he cares about regular everyday people.  He cares about me and you.

The miracles in this chapter demonstrate Jesus’ love, which makes his power so much more meaningful.  He has power to heal, and he also has power to forgive sins.  Unlike some humans, he’s not hoarding his power or using it to control people; Jesus freely forgives all who come to him.  His forgiveness is so supernatural, that it removes all guilt, so that in the eyes of God it’s like you have never sinned.  Not only that, it’s so in tune with us as people, that he physically went to the cross and paid the penalty for our sins, so that he could take the punishment off of our heads.

We don’t have to live expecting to be paid back for sins that Jesus has forgiven. True love, God’s love, doesn’t keep record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).  Once we have asked for God’s forgiveness and accepted Jesus’ payment of the penalty for our sins, we are free from the guilt, the shame, and the ominous looming payback that fear tells us God will swoop down and exact at any time.  If we have trouble, or even consequences for our actions, we must realize that we are still in the hands of a loving God, who desires the best for us, and is charting the course of our life to bring us to the future he has prepared for us before the foundation of the world.

We know he’s able, but remember he is also willing.

There is a deeper place in us than we can understand with our natural minds.  In us, is the power of God working to accomplish far greater than we can even imagine.  We already understand that God is able to do infinitely more than we can wrap our minds around, much more than science can explain, more than any other power can do.  But the amazing thing is that the same measure of who God is in the universe is the exact same measure of who he is in you or me.  He’s not any less God with my finite abilities and frail predisposition to failure, than he was when he stepped out into nothing and said “Let there be…”  God is not frustrated by our limits, rather, that is exactly the type of setup he desires…

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  2 Corinthians 4:7

It’s our humanity that makes what God does in us that much more amazing.  It’s the perfect backdrop for the display of God’s power.  Only a miraculous, supernatural God could use such inadequate tools to do such awesome and wonderful things.  Don’t limit God to what you can see, or even what you can dream.  Look for him to exceed all of your wildest imaginations, abundantly.

So then, in order for faith to be exercised, you have to be in a situation where you don’t see how it will work out… an impossible situation. We should not be surprised when we see a brick wall in our path, or the bottom falls out just when it looked like everything was going well. These types of predicaments are faith opportunities.

All God wants to see is our faith in Him. Be confident, brag on Him, praise Him even though it feels like you’re going under! He’s never once failed! Not once.

Since we know faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, we can build our faith during these times by rehearsing God’s word and all of his promises concerning us. Rehearse them in prayer, in song, in conversation… and watch your faith grow, and God’s promises come to pass in your life!  By the same token, if we spend that time rehearsing our problems and woes, we can expect more of the same to manifest in our lives.

Philippians 1:6
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you shall perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”

I’m convinced that the ultimate goal is to come to a place where it doesn’t take an impossible situation to trust God, but that we defer to God’s direction in EVERY situation.  That is walking by faith.

We only have to beware of the bad decisions– the ones that are inconsistent with where we are going, no matter how small. They tend to breed and turn into an infestation that eats ugly holes into the masterpiece we’ve worked so hard to build, sometimes causing it to come crashing down.

It’s not about being the strongest or the best, it’s more about being the most internally unified person. The person whose ideas and actions are in harmony with one another. Eventually each of those actions will join together to form the manifestation of the idea.

This is just my brain, kicking around some thoughts, but I think I’m onto something here.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, wither thou goest.

I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength… The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools

Ecclesiastes 9:2, 10-11, 16a, 17

Focus.

Sometimes I get caught up in trying to get ahead, chasing a better life… but it’s all vanity.  The life we are given is to be enjoyed.  After we are dead there will be no more opportunity to enjoy what we have been given on this earth.

It’s foolish to spend that precious time worrying and striving to get to a place where we can enjoy life.  It stands to reason that when we get there, there will be somewhere else to aspire to be, and the striving continues.

So how can I strike a balance?  What is the purpose of it all?

To be sure, we should work hard and invest in our futures, but the fact that it can all be snuffed out in the blink of an eye, or that doing everything right no more guarantees success than purchasing a lotto ticket guarantees winning the lottery; serves to temper ambition and striving to position oneself for gain.

It is easier and better to trust in God.  He alone knows our paths and where it is he has for us to go in life.  Rest in Him, and obey as he leads.  He is the vehicle that will take you wherever you need to go, and he is also the destination.  In Him is no lack; he is all-sufficient.  He desires to show us the life he has designed for us.  His thoughts toward us are of peace and not of evil, to give us an expected end.

I was reading a little history about the 400 years that transpired between the Old and New Testaments, and I was really impressed by the faith of the Israelites who lived during that time.  400 years with no prophet, no sign, except for the annual troubling of the water at the Pool of Bethesda, and this group of people held on to faith, worshipping the one true God, looking for the promised Messiah.

It’s disturbing to me, that they seem to have done everything right.  They held on to God’s promises and waited in hope until the Messiah should come.  But when the fulfillment of this long-awaited prophecy finally burst on the scene, they missed it.  How horrifying to endure suffering and oppression for so long, only being kept going by the hope of one promise, and then to miss the promise when it comes…  How does that happen?

Looking more closely at the Israelites of that day, they made some crucial mistakes that we can learn from today.  They received God’s promise, but they only received it on their terms.  They took what God said, and saw how it could benefit them, and only really received the parts that lined up with their desires and expectations.  The Old Testament prophecies said a lot about the suffering of Christ and gave clues that he was not going to be an ordinary king like what they expected, but very few received those words.  They only heard what they wanted to hear.

Our minds are so powerful, that we can sometimes ignore key information if it does not lend to our desired outcome.  Kind of like the young lady who cannot see giant red flags even when they are pointed out by people who love her, because she really wants him to be “The One”.

The lesson I took from this particular example, is that we have to be open to God’s terms for our lives.  We can’t come to God with already preconceived notions as to who we are and what we are called to do.  Even as he is the one who made us and the one who called us, God knows who we will be, how we will get there and everything in between.  When we come to God on our terms, we really miss out completely and we are only really serving ourselves.   <— read that again, that was heavy

God’s Word is the best way for us to stay in a place of being open to His way at all times.  His Word doesn’t slant to our wants and desires, it stands by itself.  The Word of God says what’s right even when it is not what we want to hear.  We have to prepare ourselves to receive everything God’s Word has to say to us.  Combined with prayer and a conscious effort to obey what God tells us, we will remain in a place where we won’t miss our long-awaited promise.

I think that nowadays, we are accustomed to there being another chance for everything. We get into the mindset, that if I explain my situation, they will understand and make adjustments for me. Seldom do we experience the stinging remorse of having to realize that we are simply too late and will have to suffer the consequences.

I think that’s the stance a lot of us take when it comes to God and eternity. God is forgiving, and when we come to him, he will forgive us and give us another chance. A lot of us have only seen the forgiving side of God, never his wrath or adherence to truth and justice. After all, even though he is forgiving and loving, he is just and holy and doesn’t fudge the rules. If you have trouble believing that, think for a minute about his Son. If there was any way for God to fudge the rules and somehow ignore our sin and let us slide without any punishment, he could’ve saved his Son the agony of the crucifixion altogether. But because of who he is, God could not even allow himself to let it slide, even though there is no one to hold him accountable. So he gave his son to this cruel inhumane torture to satisfy the requirement of justice once and for all. Atonement.

All of that is good news for us, because without Christ’s sacrifice, we had no remedy for our sin, and not even a first chance to save ourselves from destruction. But because his love is so great, he allowed Jesus to pay our debt and suffer as a mere mortal, at the hands of other mere mortals who were not even worthy be in his presence. Jesus did it humbly, obediently and sinlessly without so much as a sinful thought or motive. Obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. It’s because of this that God has highly exalted him and given him a name above every name. No one is more deserving, wouldn’t you agree?

The sobering part of this good news, is that if God is so just and so holy, that he wouldn’t let down his requirement even a little to spare his Son such agony, then doesn’t it stand to reason that he will do what he has said both to those who accept his terms, and to those who reject them? Salvation is free, and God has done everything to make it possible and available to all, but his holiness demands we follow his way and not our own. So it’s a trick for our minds to tell us that God is going to adjust his requirements for our “legitimate” excuses.

So, because God is merciful, and forgiving, and kind, and he loves us, let us not put off our pursuit of his will; finding out what he requires, and meeting those requirements. The day will come when it is too late, and he must once again honor his own word.

Here’s a good place to start:

Romans 10:8-10 (King James Version)
8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 1:20

It’s funny how we can fly through life, surrounded by the awesomeness of creation, but unaffected by the powerful message it conveys.  Personally, I find this true, especially when a particular aspect of creation has been around as a backdrop for my entire life.

I grew up in a city that is nestled at the base of a massive mountain range.  People visiting from out of town would always comment on the grandeur, majesty and imposing presence of them, often gazing in amazement and wonder.  From childhood, I was always puzzled by this, because since I came into the world, those mountains were always there.  They were in the backgrounds of pictures taken in the yard, and served as landmarks on the horizon when I was trying to get my bearings and determine which way was north.  Silently, they occupy a huge portion of the sky, but I never really gave much thought to them. I pretty much took them for granted.  I think the first time I really took notice of their intricate beauty and massive greatness was when I moved a couple of hours away to college and drove through a mountain pass to get home from school each weekend.  Being alone in silence and seeing great cliffs and protrusions, along with the splendor of all of the colors displayed in the rocks, made me suddenly feel like I was very close to God.  I would sing worship songs and talk to him like I never done before.  I would also call out to him like never before when I found myself driving the twisting and turning road in a mountain snowstorm.

Similarly, all of nature testifies without ever speaking a word of the awesome glory of God.   It is a grand demonstration of how great he is, and how wonderful a craftsman he is, forming each and every specimen of earth right down to the smallest detail, with amazing precision and purpose.  Then, as if that weren’t awe-inspiring enough, he puts each individual creation together with the others in a way that the whole system functions in order by his design, with every created thing serving its purpose and fulfilling its responsibility, contributing to supporting the continual function of the rest of creation.  Except that wild card creation known as “man”, everything abides in its purpose.

And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Isaiah 6:3

So today, I stopped to once again take a closer look at nature to learn one of the many lessons it teaches.  This time my instructor was the myrtle tree.  The myrtle tree is only mentioned about six times in the bible, but seeing it mentioned got me thinking about exactly what kind of tree it is, so I did a little research.

The myrtle tree that grows in Oregon and Northern California is not the same tree as mentioned in the bible that grows in and around the holy land, but they are related and have very similar properties.  It’s even speculated that the early settlers of the west coast may have picked up some myrtle nuts in Southern Europe and planted them here.  At any rate, the mention of the myrtle in the bible led me to study the myrtle tree that is a little closer to home.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 55:13

The prophet Isaiah uses the myrtle to illustrate life and fertility, as he prophesies it growing instead of a plant that symbolizes dearth and drought.   The myrtle tree is an evergreen characterized by leaves clustered so densely that the branches can’t even be seen.  It reminds me of the descriptive words of the Psalmist:

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:3

Also the prophet Jeremiah:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and that shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7, 8

The imagery of those metaphors is strikingly similar to the myrtle tree.  It is always green and has a strong root system that keeps it going even during dire times.  Even when cut down to a stump, its roots cause it to sprout again.

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.  Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

Job 14:7-9

The myrtle tree grows slowly, and starts out as just a small shrub, only adding to its stature about twelve inches each year.  This means that it takes over a hundred years for this tree to finish growing, but when it matures it is great in size and nothing like the shrub it was when it started.  The massive trunk of the full grown myrtle tree is actually several stocks that have grown together over time to make one great tree.

The comparisons abound between a Christian and this remarkable tree.  It becomes strong by joining with other trees and becoming one, much like we become a part of the body of Christ—one body with many members (Romans 12:5).  Sometimes the Christian is cut down to what looks like nothing, and it can appear to be the end of his/her story because of the tragedy or misfortune that has befallen them, but because those roots run deep, eventually signs of life will begin to emerge and again the child of God will resume growth and vitality (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).

Those roots are what led me to the most important lesson this myrtle tree conveyed to me.  In my reading about the myrtle tree, I found out that the wood of this tree is used to make a variety of beautiful pieces of furniture and decorations carved by craftsmen of the northwest.  The beauty of myrtle wood is that it varies in color and design because of where it grows.  As the roots draw minerals from the soil, those minerals color the wood giving it its beautiful variety of colors.  This variety enables it to be used in all kinds of settings because its versatility lends to it being able to work well with other pieces that may already be in someone’s home.

When I read this, I pictured God’s people as myrtle trees, who are planted in rich soil, saturated with the word of God, drawing from an unending source of strength and wisdom for every situation.  This believer is equipped with everything needed for every purpose for which God intends to use them.  The versatility of the Spirit of God is shown in the numerous gifts that he has given to the church by one Spirit.  We draw from the same spirit, but we are as diverse in gifting and uses as our great and diverse God.

Roots that run deep speak of being entrenched and having a firm foundation so that nothing sways or moves us.  When the water on the surface has dried up, the tree that is rooted will still draw water from deep within the earth that will sustain it.   When situations around us appear to be hopeless with no sign of getting better, we can draw from the Spirit of God within us, who is able to sustain us with the assurance that we are his, reminding us of his word and that what he has spoken will come to pass.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

John 7:38

Lastly, the myrtle tree has a myriad of grain patterns.  I read that each tree’s pattern is developed by the things that occur in its surroundings.  So each storm, and each draught, every adverse condition and every pleasurable season, contributes to the beautiful design displayed in the wood of the myrtle tree.  When it is molded in the hands of the craftsman, after some cutting away; sanding here, and shaping there, the myrtle wood becomes a beautiful creation.  Pieces made from this wood often become treasured heirlooms because of the years of growth that took place to get the wood to maturity, before it even began the process of being molded into what it was to become.

Likewise, we go through a process before we reach the finished product that God had in mind before we were ever born.  We grow through various storms and adverse conditions in our lives, and sometimes things happen that cut us down and it feels like we are starting over again.  But all of our trials and tribulations, and the good times that we experience, contribute to the raw beauty of who we are.  Before we are ever brought into the body of Christ, we come from a place that has shaped who we are thus far.  Our experiences have shaped us, and given us a different perspective than anyone else.  They make us material with which God can shape and mold a vessel that serves his purpose.  I believe that God’s hand was as much involved in the making of us before we yielded to him as it is now, our eyes were just not open to the fact that he was at work.  Since no two purposes are alike, it makes sense that the circumstances and conditions that we come through to get to our place of purpose are also as different as each of us.   We can’t really compare ourselves to one another, because each of us is unique and created for a unique purpose.  Where we are planted, and the environment in which we grow were all planned out by God, contributing to the finished product we will become.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Yep, that myrtle tree is quite the instructor…

Frustration.  Such an ugly word, yet you’ll hear the sound of its name pronounced in some form or other, its praises ringing like a chorus to the culprit responsible for the slow-down or stoppage of any good work in progress.  Any undertaking of something positive or worthwhile will sooner or later find itself scheduled for a twelve round title fight with frustration… or maybe in some cases it’s a street brawl or just an all out war complete with the tragic stories of casualties that are all too familiar during times of war.

Indeed an encounter with frustration can be fatal, especially to your dreams that you once hotly pursued with all of the excitement that comes from finding something that it feels like you were born to do and knowing that you’ve been given an extraordinary gift, and that your life is going somewhere, and that you were created for something great… YES!!!  Your very being has been infused by purpose and you dream passionately of your God-given goal.  You muse about what it will look and feel like once you have reached the reality of what you have so far only seen in brief glimpses and fleeting visions.

So you set out on your journey, and quickly realize that the smooth trail that you surveyed from afar is immensely more rugged and treacherous upon closer inspection.  And as you travel you find the going is sometimes slow, and other times it’s all you can do to hold ground and not retreat.

When taking a step back and looking at the larger picture, I’ve begun to gain some perspective about what frustration really is and why it comes about.  In my few short years, I’ve had many a tangle with frustration, and I can honestly say that I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!  The feelings, the struggle, the whole experience… it’s all so negative and adverse to everything good.  But it must be as necessary as it is deadly.

What is frustration?  What makes it so loathsome and irritating?  What makes it so effective in derailing such noble efforts?  I’ve given some thought and analysis to the frustrating moments in my own life in hopes of answering some of these questions for myself, in preparation for the next time we do battle.

Picture a young child attempting a seemingly simple task.  The one that always comes to mind from my own childhood was a particular bout with frustration while trying to get out of a dress that had buttons all the way down the back.  I remember pulling the dress over my head, and I could get out of the sleeves and everything, but ended up stuck when the collar of the dress would not go over my head.  I would spend all of my energy yanking and pulling until I worked myself into a frenzy and found myself on the verge of tears because it felt like I would be trapped in this darkness forever, unable to figure out how to get free.

Looking back, it is a very silly picture, but at the time there was nothing more serious, and the feeling of frustration is almost exactly the same to this very day.   The situations change, but the feeling is the same.   I guess I’ll point out here, without digressing too much, that getting out of that situation was as simple as going back to the beginning and starting over, this time choosing a different path.  Pulling the dress back down and putting my arms back in the sleeves, I could work on calmly loosening those top buttons, which would allow me to get the dress over my head.

That’s a simple, small-scale model of every frustrating moment I’ve ever had.  I’ll be headed toward accomplishing something, when suddenly an unexpected roadblock pops up out of nowhere.  So focused and intent on accomplishing my goal, I forcefully and blindly continue, determined to deny the obstacle the pleasure of stopping my progress.  But I keep running into the roadblock again and again.  It only takes a short time for me to tire of expending all of my energy and getting no where.  That for me is the definition of frustration.  Spinning your wheels, running out of gas, and finding that at the end of the day you’ve become emotional (angry, sad, desperate, despondent, depressed) and tired, and are no further along than when you started.

Frustration rises up quickly, almost in no time at all, and that’s part of what makes it so deadly.  The other thing is that it comes from within.  The obstacle stopping you may be outside of you, but frustration rises up within you and tries to destroy you from the inside.  It exhausts everything you have to give, and challenges whether there is any redeeming value to your visions and goals or to you as a person.  Sometimes the source of frustration can be a person or system, but ultimately its goal is to destroy you or stop you from going any further in the direction you’re headed.  The crazy thing about it, is if frustration didn’t rise up and take over so quickly, we’d probably find that our perceived obstacle or setback isn’t as large as it appears.  I’m convinced that frustration uses the flood of emotion to cloud our thinking so that we fail to use the abilities we already possess to overcome and keep moving forward.

In Ezra 4:4,5, the enemies of the Jews wanted to stop the building of the temple, so they assaulted them with words of defeat and used every available avenue to block their efforts, ultimately securing a decree from the king that represented a huge concrete barricade to the success of the project.  The scripture says one of their tactics was to hire counsellors to frustrate their purpose.  That hebrew word for purpose literally means counsel or advice.  So they hired experts as commentators on the project, whose job it was to contradict the declaration of the Jews and their leaders.  Their encouraging words were met with words of doubt and discouragement, and their orders were met with predictions of failure and fruitlessness.  The atmosphere was rife with negativity and gloom, making it difficult to even keep the group motivated and unified.  Matthew Henry speculates that if there were any among them who were not extremely passionate about this venture, they probably were easily discouraged at the outset, creating a burden on the rest because their contributions were still needed and it was hurtful to the whole group if they were missing from the effort.

The king’s decree seemed like a final blow to an already severely weakened effort.  Where they were spinning their wheels with little progress, now everything had come to a grinding halt.  Continuing did not even appear to be an option.  Sometimes frustration is so great, the only cure seems to be to stop trying.  If resistance is so strong and won’t let up in opposing me, then I’ll stop opposing it.  If I give in, maybe then I’ll have some peace. The only problem is that the purpose for which we were created is inside of us.  It is woven into the very fiber of our being.  We were crafted deliberately for purpose, on purpose! It’s like a state of the art race car designed to perform at record speeds, but it’s only driven in school zones.  It was created for so much more and is capable of much greater; to be permanently resigned to something so beneath its potential would be a grand waste of a very substantial investment.

So it is with us, but be encouraged!  The presence of frustration is an indicator of many positive things.  First, it is a pretty good sign that you are doing something worth opposing, which is likely why you’ve encountered opposition.  Second, frustration seems to magnify a problem and hinder one’s ability to think clearly and rationally, so chances are if you can just diffuse the emotion (shock, disappointment, fear, hurt, and even anger), you may find that the problem wasn’t as large as it may have seemed, and it’s certainly not larger than the Creator who made you and gave you the assignment, all the while being fully aware of the fact that this problem would arise.  You may just find that He has already made the way around, over, under, or through, and given you the tools you need to proceed in whatever way He has purposed for you to go.

Frustration can be an ugly thing, but since I know it’s a certain fixture on the path to purpose, I am preparing myself to recognize it and embrace it as a sign of progress, rather than a hindrance to it.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, by the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand… Judges 7:7

We all know the familiar scripture that says God’s ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts, but still it is difficult at times to see how God is able to do more with less, when our inclination is that we need more than what we have to do anything great.

Growing up in a very small church, I’ve heard all of the clichés about not counting numbers, but making numbers count, and brightening the corner where you are, etc.  I honestly really never bought any of that, because it usually came from the mouths of people who had more to work with, and were striving to get still more.  What I seldom witnessed, however, was any of these churches, small or large, efficiently using the resources they had available to them.  It’s sad, but most times still, when I observe a congregation I see more potential in packages (wrapped up sitting on the shelf) than potential in progress (moving toward something).

But the story of Gideon says something about potential and potency.  All of those thousands of men he had at the outset were only strong in numbers, but not in unity and in heart.  The lesson I took away from this is that even if you have large numbers of people with you, it can be deceitful.  If their hearts are not with you, it is a false sense of security that can fail you at your most vulnerable time.  Instead of rallying to your side, they may forsake and flee.   What people say, and what’s in their hearts can be two very different things.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  Proverbs 23:7

Which brings us to the idea of maximum potency.  As I stated in Part I, it has to do with the removing of all fillers and unnecessary ingredients in order to obtain greater concentration and focus.  This principle applies to individual lives, but as the story of Gideon so vividly illustrates, it also applies to group efforts.

The first thing that stands out, is that God called Gideon and gave him the mission.  We must be sure that our endeavors originate not with man, but with God.  That way, we are building on a rock and not the shifting sand of fallible people.  Whether numbers increase or decrease, whether your most trusted associates forsake you; you will still have as insurance, that Blessed Assurance that God is faithful.  What he has said, he will do.

Next, we must realize that if we are doing something great and effective, especially for the Kingdom of God, we may not only attract those that are like-minded, but people with various other motives and agendas.  Just because they are there, doesn’t mean they are there for you or your vision.  I’m reminded of the Israelites in Ezra 4:1-4.  As they built the temple, others came and said, “Let us build with you.”  It was not long before it was discovered that their true motives were actually to weaken the hands of the Israelites and to take away their focus.

I believe our efforts are diluted because, especially in the church, we welcome any help offered and never take a moment to see whether it fits God’s instructions.  What started as a pure endeavor to please God can be sabotaged by those who’ve gained leverage and began pulling in the direction of their agenda.   Before you know it, politics have entered the camp and you and God are being threatened with an overthrow.   I know a lot of churches find themselves hurting for resources at times, but we should never compromise our vision in the name of achieving our vision.

This is a difficult subject, because by no means am I saying that we should sit up and fret about who is for us and against us or be paranoid about someone taking what is ours.  What I am saying is that we should vigilantly guard the work that God has assigned to each of our hands.   We should not allow a hireling to come and damage or derail our focus, making us less effective in the very thing we have been called to do.  In Gideon’s case, it wasn’t a personal thing.  In fact, it was mostly a matter of dismissing those who didn’t want to be there anyway.  Hmmm…  twenty-two thousand men showed up for battle and in their heart of hearts, that is not where they wanted to be.   Gideon ultimately found out that both he and they were better off if they went their way.  The other ninety seven hundred were not so easy to dismiss, but they simply did not have the innate skill to do the job at hand.  They weren’t bad people, this task just wasn’t for them at this time, but the victory when it was won, was for all of them, even the ones that went home.   Similarly, the endeavors that benefit your church or group are for the benefit of the whole, not just those that are selected to work in that particular area.  Any hard feelings can be quickly assuaged with the knowledge that though this may not be my calling and it might not be for me to work with this particular area right now, there is a calling and a purpose specifically for me.  If I involve myself with finding, and then working that purpose, I have no time to spend worrying about things I wasn’t called to do.

I think that one of the biggest problems in church today is not lack of numbers or failure to be relevant.  I think that at the very root is an identity crisis.  People that don’t know who they are and their own God-given purpose tend to run to where they feel God is doing something great and try to jump in there (I know because I used to be one of these people).  But because that is not their call or assigned work, they are like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, ministering havoc and hindrance to those who are trying to work and grow in what God has called them to do.  When even one person fails to stay in their lane, the result can be a terrible accident that may cause someone to get hurt or killed, and will certainly delay us all from getting to our destination.

While the problem may never be completely eliminated, it can be greatly reduced by focusing on one’s goal and destination, and being prayerful as to who you select or permit to be on the frontline of moving the vision forward.  Everyone will help or benefit in some capacity, but everyone wasn’t called to be by your side, in your ear, or even on your team.  You may look at what’s left and think it’s not enough to get the job done, but just remember that tiny cup of “concentrated” laundry detergent, or Gideon and his modest three hundred men, and know that your main active ingredient is really all you ever need.  “If God be for you…”