That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering. ”
God had called Gideon to serve Him. In fact, God greeted Gideon with the moniker, "mighty warrior." What a greeting! How would you like God to say that to you to get your attention? As part of his call, though, God told Gideon to do something very brave. He had to get rid of his father's idols.
I was reminded of this recently, on a visit with my father. We stopped at a gas station to fill up the gas tank of his truck and when we were driving away, he was writing down the cost of the gas and the mileage of the truck. My dad has done that ever since I could remember. If he paid by cash, debit or credit card, he always wrote that down. My dad was raised in the depression era so he learned from his father about the need to count every penny.
As he was writing, I recalled my first car. I got a little notepad (just like my dad's) and wrote down my gas usage and miles. I did that for probably my first two cars. When I got my third car, I thought to myself, "why are you doing that for?" I recalled that I had simply been following my father's example. Now, I don't have the financial acumen that my father has nor do I have the same interests in knowing about mileage and gas usage (although, I don't blame my father at all for this behavior, it is a good discipline).
Gideon, however, had a different kind of father. His father had a half-hearted desire to please God. Sure, his father worshiped God but he had also built an altar to another god. God told Gideon that if he was going to really be the Mighty Warrior that God intended, then he would have to get rid of his father's idols. He was to serve God wholeheartedly and have integrity in his worship of the One and Only True God.
So, now, even though my father is old, and he can't hear very well which leads to some difficulty in communicating, I'm so grateful for a father that continues to teach me about serving God wholeheartedly. Just being in his presence is meaningful to me. I'm praying that God will help me to be even half the example to my kids as my dad is to me.
What about you? Are there things that you need to do differently? Have you been doing some things just because you have been taught or had the behavior modeled for you?
That's good if you have a godly heritage; however, if your dad is like Gideon's, maybe there are some things that you need to do differently.
Ask God to show you how to have a wholehearted devotion to Him.
Get rid of those idols...
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
God had called Gideon to serve Him. In fact, God greeted Gideon with the moniker, "mighty warrior." What a greeting! How would you like God to say that to you to get your attention? As part of his call, though, God told Gideon to do something very brave. He had to get rid of his father's idols.
I was reminded of this recently, on a visit with my father. We stopped at a gas station to fill up the gas tank of his truck and when we were driving away, he was writing down the cost of the gas and the mileage of the truck. My dad has done that ever since I could remember. If he paid by cash, debit or credit card, he always wrote that down. My dad was raised in the depression era so he learned from his father about the need to count every penny.
As he was writing, I recalled my first car. I got a little notepad (just like my dad's) and wrote down my gas usage and miles. I did that for probably my first two cars. When I got my third car, I thought to myself, "why are you doing that for?" I recalled that I had simply been following my father's example. Now, I don't have the financial acumen that my father has nor do I have the same interests in knowing about mileage and gas usage (although, I don't blame my father at all for this behavior, it is a good discipline).
Gideon, however, had a different kind of father. His father had a half-hearted desire to please God. Sure, his father worshiped God but he had also built an altar to another god. God told Gideon that if he was going to really be the Mighty Warrior that God intended, then he would have to get rid of his father's idols. He was to serve God wholeheartedly and have integrity in his worship of the One and Only True God.
So, now, even though my father is old, and he can't hear very well which leads to some difficulty in communicating, I'm so grateful for a father that continues to teach me about serving God wholeheartedly. Just being in his presence is meaningful to me. I'm praying that God will help me to be even half the example to my kids as my dad is to me.
What about you? Are there things that you need to do differently? Have you been doing some things just because you have been taught or had the behavior modeled for you?
That's good if you have a godly heritage; however, if your dad is like Gideon's, maybe there are some things that you need to do differently.
Ask God to show you how to have a wholehearted devotion to Him.
Get rid of those idols...
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
