Head Scratcher — Ehud - Thursday
Today’s Verse
Judges 3:27-29
When he arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Ehud sounded a call to arms. Then he led a band of Israelites down from the hills. “Follow me,” he said, “for the Lord has given you victory over Moab your enemy.” So they followed him. And the Israelites took control of the shallow crossings of the Jordan River across from Moab, preventing anyone from crossing. They attacked the Moabites and killed about 10,000 of their strongest and most able-bodied warriors. Not one of them escaped. (NLT)
I will never forget when I was asked to volunteer in student ministry. I was a senior in high school, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after graduation. At that time, I really didn’t feel like I had much going for me or like my life was really going to go anywhere.
I was having a hard time getting into the colleges I wanted, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. Some of my closest friends were moving far away. All in all, I felt pretty stuck, hopeless, directionless, and really, I felt like I had nothing to offer anyone.
In that season, I was asked to meet with some of the middle school leads here at Southland to talk about volunteering as a small group leader. They challenged and encouraged me. They told me there was a need, and I had something to offer these students.
This invitation changed my life so much that I now serve our middle school students full-time! I am forever grateful for that call to action all those years ago. And I feel that it’s similar to the call to action Ehud gave the Israelite people.
At this point in Judges 3, Ehud had killed King Eglon to free the Israelite people from enslavement to the Moabites. After escaping, Ehud came back to the Israelite people and told them, “Follow me, for the Lord has given you victory over Moab your enemy.” And the Israelites followed Ehud into battle against the rest of the Moabites.
Ehud had killed King Eglon, but that was only a part of leading Israel to freedom. Israel was victorious over King Eglon, but there were remnants of King Eglon’s rule over the Israelites they had to fight their way through.
I really like this mental picture. I feel we are in a similar state of life, where we are free and victorious, yet still have a fight ahead of us. We are free from sin because Jesus reigns victorious over sin and death; however, we still have a fight ahead of us. We can still look around and see so many things that are not in alignment with what God wants for us. There is still poverty, war, hunger, death, and so much more.
We are free, but we have to fight. Fight for others to come to know Jesus. Fight for others to be properly cared for. Fight for the peace, love, and joy that only come from Jesus to prevail over the earth. And Jesus made clear the way we fight for others is through service, by surrendering our time, energy, and resources for the sake and benefit of others.
So… Who are you serving? And, who are you calling up to serve alongside you?
REFLECTION
Thank God for the people who served you and called you up to serve others.
Take a minute to ask God who you can serve today.
Ask God to help you identify who you can call up to serve alongside you.