DCLM Daily Manna 3 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — The Test For Fitness
TOPIC: The Test For Fitness (DCLM Daily Manna 3 April 2024)
KEY VERSE: “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place” (Judges 7:7).
TEXT: Judges 7:1-8 (KJV)
1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
MESSAGE:
Available statistics reveal that we spend a lot of money on fitness and well-being—$828 billion globally in 2018. Being mindful of our physical wellness is important. The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA (a hospital focused on integrated health care, education and research) suggests that being active improves our mental health and energy level, helps us sleep better and guard against disease.
“Gideon’s 300 soldiers” is a very remarkable story. It reveals God’s preference for quality rather than quantity in choosing people for His service. Gideon had the divine mandate to fight against the Midianites. He had given a clarion call to arms and 32,000 warriors had enlisted. The army seemed large enough, but God is not necessarily on the side of the heaviest battalions, certainly not when 22,000 of the lot were literally trembling for fear. The fearful were only too glad to decommission at the earliest opportunity; God does not use such people anyway.
For Gideon, facing up to an army hundreds of thousands strong with a measly 10,000-man army was already a project of faith. But God was not done yet. He saw an equally disqualifying trait that Gideon could not see in the men that remained, and He was going to whittle down the army even further. The test was a very little act – drinking water after a long march. All but few of the 10,000 men forgot that they were soldiers. Dropping their weapons, they bowed face down into the water and lapped greedily to quench their thirst. 9,700 were disqualified; only a mere 300 who quenched their thirst while remaining vigilant against possible enemy attack were deemed fit to fight in the battle.
In the battle for righteousness, God is looking for men and women who hold strong convictions against the glamorised moral pollution in society. If they will dare to stand, they are God’s choice.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Great qualifications are nothing where faith in God and courage to stand for the right is lacking.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Psalms 19-23
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
