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Resolve to Read: April 26 Readings:

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/2012-04-26/

Judges 6:1-40 http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/2012-04-26/#old-testament

Luke 22:54-23:12 http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/2012-04-26/#new-testament

Psalm 95:1-96:13 http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/2012-04-26/#psalm

Proverbs 14:5-6 http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/2012-04-26/#proverb

Meditation Key Verses: Judges 6:11-12 (ESV)

Then the angel of the LORD came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which

belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at

the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD

appeared to him and said, Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!

Mighty Hero? Who, Me?By Dorothy A. DeBisschop

The story of Gideon and the fleeces raises a number of questions. Frequently

readers ask:

Who was the angel of the LORD that spoke to Gideon?

Was Gideon right to ask for so many miracles before agreeing to the task?

Theyre both good questions, but not the most important lesson to be learned from the

scripture. Lets get them out of the way briefly before going to the meat of the story.

The angel of the LORD in the Old Testament was a preincarnate form of our Lord

Jesus Christ, who later became human as a baby in Bethlehem. In verse 11, the

visitor is called the angel of the LORD, but further on in verse 16 the same visitor

is simply called the LORD.

Gideons asking for so many miracles strikes many as presumptuous, but Jesus

patience with doubting Thomas, shows that He accepts our sincere doubts and

questions. He tells Thomas that he is blessed to know the truth, but that those

who believe without seeing proof are even more blessed. Honestly facing doubts

and seeking answers from God is a way to increase faith.

These points are interesting and add to our understanding, but dont miss the most

amazing part of the story. The Lord addresses Gideon as Mighty Hero. This is said to

a young man who is hiding in a wine press to thresh grain. A wine press is below

ground level, and threshing wheat is normally done on ground level, so that the thresher

can toss the wheat, both straw and grains into the air, where the breezes can help

separate the wheat from the chaff.

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Gideon was hiding below ground because he didnt want to be seen. He was afraid of

the Midianites. Y, yet the Lord called him Mighty Hero. It reminds me of the day that

Jesus called an unlikely group of fishermen and told them they would become fishers

of men. Jesus looks at us and sees possibilities we may not know we have. Jesus

calls each of us to some sort of service. At our acceptance of Jesus as our savior, we

are each given spiritual gifts. Often we dont realize what these gifts are until we study

the word, pray, and see where Jesus is calling us to use our gifts.

We arent all gifted and called to be a mighty hero, but we are all given gifts for the

purpose of serving God. God calls us to use our gifts wisely and faithfully.

ACTIVITY FOR THE DAY: Whats your spiritual gift or gifts? If you dont know yet,

study the word and pray for discernment so that you will recognize what God has given

you. The Lord calls us to use our gifts wisely and faithfully. How can you moreeffectively use the gifts the Lord has given you?

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, help us to discern our spiritual gifts. Give us the

wisdom, grace and courage to fully utilize them for your service. Help us to be effective

followers of you and to show the way to others. Amen.

JOURNALING NOTES:

(Resolve to Read meditations follow the One Year Bible popularized by Tyndale HousePublishers. The meditations are copyrighted, but readers are free to share them, aslong as no charge is made for them and this notice is included.)