Tuesday, February 21, 2012

It's not the size of the dog..

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight;
it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

When you think of ‘the fight’ as applied to Biblical personalities,
do you think of David slaying Goliath?
or of Gideon with his 300 men conquering thousands?
or of Moses leading millions through the parted Red Sea?

How about others in ‘the fight’, the ones less famous,
who also acted with courageous valor in obedience to God.


The fight of plotting and wits
“And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, ‘Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.’  But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, ‘Yes the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.  It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went.  Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them…  Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before… When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath…’”  ~Joshua 2:1-11

The resourceful fight
“After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.”  ~Judges 3:31

The passionate fight
of brute strength
“When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him.  And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands.  He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand 
men with it." ~Judges 15:14,15

The fight of tremendous risk
“And David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.  Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.” ~2 Samuel 6:11

The fight to value godliness
over expectations
“Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  But Judas Iscariot… said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?’  …Jesus said, 
‘Let her alone…’” ~John 12:3

The vigilant prayerful fight
for hope beyond death
"Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.  And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died… So Peter arose and went with them… all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.  But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’  And she 
opened her eyes…”  ~Acts 9:36-40

Each of these fights were won
not because of any super-human strength,
amazing skills, or remarkable intellect.

Each fight displayed God’s miraculous power
through acts of submission, obedience, trust,
and an intensely focused passion for God.

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