But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred chosen men from those living in Gibeah. Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Judges 20:13-16Tonight was the first Bible Talk at Matt and Lauren's. It is always exciting to be part of something special, the initial push for something to glorify God with. I am always happy to see people like Matt, who I was able to help study the Bible with, and Lauren, who was a teen when I was there the first time, together in marriage. I forget every time that Matt is quite a bit younger than me, but zealous beyond compare. Like some of the spiritual men and women of the Bible, God put it on their heart to have a Bible Talk in their home.
Tonight's lesson was on getting spiritually fit. We all need a good kick in the pants on occasion to get us fired up for our relationship with God. He put somethings out there, which could scare some resentful old school Disciples. Matt used the word GOAL tonight. I know if you are out there and have any thoughts of tough discipling, because some one didn't share their faith to meet a "goal" or because you aren't studying with some one to help meet the goal of the Bible talk, it wasn't like that. Personal goals is what he was talking about. These are things that bring glory to God, because you relied on Him in prayer and fought to keep you spiritual fervor heated for these things. It what holds you accountable to God about who you are as His child.
When you read the scripture above, you can't help to wonder what this has to do with spiritual fitness and goals. The Benjamites were an impressive group, they were able to rally together quickly, they were many in number and they were highly trained. Imagine this, take a leather patch (3"x3"), attach it to two leather belts (one opposite side of the square), then place a stone about 4"-5" in diameter in that patch. Twirl it over your head and let go of one of the belts. I'm impressed if you can do that! Do it again and hit a hair on the other side of the room. If you are able to do that, use your other hand and repeat. That's how good these guys were.
That's spiritual fitness. Being with God, trained by God and for God to be that good. Realize, when it comes to spiritual matters, we all have to have our sights fixed on pointing out the hairs of Satan. When he lurks like a lion, it's not enough to recognize his footprint, but to identify the exact thing he touched or brushed up against that caused a hair to come off his head. God will train us to be ready to spot the enemy's tracks, behaviors and preferences, if we stay close to God and listen to his words.
In all, I'm excited to be in this Bible Talk. I don't know how much I can commit to being there, with my job and responsibilities with the Teen Ministry. God will always make it clear as to what He wants with any one's life, we just have to be still to hear His whisper. Email me if you would like to come out sometime.
