Jump Start # 778

Judges 6:8 “The Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from the land of Egypt and brought you up out of the house of bondage.”

I am currently teaching the book of Judges. This passage is interesting. It precedes the calling of Gideon to deliver Israel out of oppression by Midian. God sent a prophet to remind Israel that He has taken care of them and that they were to be obedient to Him. Israel failed. They continued to worship  the gods of the lands.

What I find very interesting, not just here, but throughout the Bible, are these unknown heroes and servants of God who serve a role without any fanfare, hoopla or great recognition. God knows. Who was this prophet? No one knows for sure. This is like the poor widow in Mark who gave a couple of pennies to the treasury and Jesus made note of that. What was her name? It was not given to us.

That thought continues on even today. I past through an area recently that had a small church. I knew the man who once preached there. He passed away a few years ago. He was not well known. He worked in small churches and in just a couple of counties. He was steady, hard working but few knew him. He didn’t travel across the county preaching. He didn’t write any books. His articles were not found in any magazines. He never preached at large lectureships or even before large crowds. Simple, quiet, minded his own business and stuck to the business of God. He preached and taught. He helped others come to understand the Lord. He never made much money. He preached at churches that didn’t have a lot of money. In this age of mega-churches and big everything, most would consider his work unimpressive and maybe even a failure. I wonder if we’ve gotten stuck on the wrong things anymore. The flashy preacher, the big crowd, the cool stuff, the polish and shine have grabbed our attention and the simple, pure story of Jesus, the message, has been overlooked. We can become so impressed with the box that we fail to see if there is anything in the box. The preacher that I referred was rather plain. His suits were cheap. His ties rather ugly. He was very county in his speech and ways. He wasn’t well read. His education had not gone much beyond high school. Yet, he loved the Lord and loved to tell that story. I didn’t spend much time with him, when I probably could have. My loss now. I wish I had.

There is something to be said about that unnamed prophet who simply did God’s work. We do well to learn that lesson ourselves. We can do things to get noticed, or we can do things just because it’s the right thing to do. Make a name for ourselves or spread God’s name. God recognizes what you do. Jesus said, a cup of cold water given to a disciple would be noticed. God knows. You don’t have to grab His attention, you have it. You don’t have to impress Him, because you can’t. What impresses Him, is substance. What’s in the package, not what’s on the outside. What impresses Him is the person that will go and do His work in a place that may not  draw attention. He is impressed with the deeds we do everyday. Now, if we have to tell others or have to toot our own horn about what we do, then we have just lost value. Don’t do that. Be the unnamed prophet and the unnamed widow who simply do what they can for the Lord.

Bragging kills the motive for doing good. Bragging is asking for attention and praise. Bragging is pride expressed. God isn’t keen on pride. So keep doing good, but don’t  be concerned about getting a thank you, a slap on the back, a shout out from the pulpit. Send a hurting family some cash without them knowing who did it. Put a gift on someone’s doorstep. Show up to help someone move. Visit the hospital. Send flowers. Write a note. But then, don’t complain and brag that you were the only one who did anything. If you’re going to do that, you might as well not do anything!

Have you noticed how many “unknown” servants and heroes there are in the Bible. I think of the four friends who lowered their crippled buddy through the roof so Jesus could heal him. Who were they? Unknown to us, but great examples of friendship and faith. Be a person like that. Just do your job!

Roger