Recovery Devotional 338 The More Excellent Way

JMD Devotional 338 Judges7:24-8:3 The More Excellent Way

[After a major portion of the battle against the Midianites was fought, the Midianites fled and Gideon pursued. Fatigued, he called to the hills for reinforcements.]

And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites and take all the intervening fords as far as Beth-barah and also the Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together and took all the fords as far as Beth-barah and also the Jordan. And [the men of Ephraim] took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

AND THE men of Ephraim said to Gideon, Why have you treated us like this, not calling us when you went to fight with Midian? And they quarreled with him furiously. And he said to them, What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of [your big tribe of] Ephraim better than the vintage of [my little clan of] Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger toward him was abated when he had said that.

[Amplified footnote: "Gideon's good words were as victorious as his sword" (Bishop Joseph Hall, cited by Charles Ellicott, A Bible Commentary). "He might have said that he could place but little dependence upon his brethren when, through faintheartedness, 22,000 left him at one time (Judg. 7:3), but he passed this by and took a more excellent way" (Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with A Commentary). "The improving of a victory is often more honorable and of greater consequence than the winning of it... Humility of deportment is the. .. surest method of ending strife" (Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Holy Bible).]

It is not uncommon to find myself with way too much on my shoulders, depleted and overcommitted, carrying more than my share of a floundering project with all of my helpers apparently AWOL. When I am feeling stressed and abandoned, my impulse is to lash out at the people I was depending on and “should” all over them. “Where were you when I needed you?!” “Why aren’t you carrying your share of the load?!” It never ends well. I end up alienating my friends and coworkers, loosing my composure, saying or E-mailing things I later regret; exacerbating my problems. When I let myself get backed up against a wall, I am apt to react badly (the situation is in control of me rather than me of it; I have in effect given something outside too much power over what is inside of me).

Dear God,

When I am overwhelmed, I need You to show me a more excellent way. My carnal weapons that I use to lash out at my troubles cause too much collateral damage. People’s wills may be as strong as iron; but their spirits are as fragile as hand blown glass: help me to be gentle and loving, even to my supposed ‘enemies’. How do I express it to my friends when they let me down? How do I say no to managers who heap it on and have no concern for my mental health? You care. Even if my mother and father abandon me, the Lord will take me up. Will Your wing shield me from corporate assaults? Will You find a man to stand in this gap or will You stand there Yourself for me? Preserve me, Lord, and show me a better way to endure this.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

http://jamesdinsmoreblogs.blogspot.com/

Christian, devotional, recovery, addiction, purity, faithfulness, integrity