JUDGES 6:15

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

TO PONDER

Is that how you feel? When you stop and take a look at your church, do you think, "What can I do? My church is just a small part of a small denomination in a small part of the world and I am only one very tiny and insignificant part of it?" Well if you have, then you are in good company.

Gideon was a bit preoccupied with size and status. I don't think scripture describes him as a short man, but I always imagine him that way. When God asks him to take the Israelite army to go and fight their enemies, Gideon began with 32,000 men. This still left them heavily outnumbered by the Midianite army which were supposedly about 135,000 strong. So Gideon was nervous and uncertain. As Gideon questioned God and asked for more signs of God's presence and promise of victory, God also dwindled the number of Gideons fighting force down to 300, before he told Gideon to attack the Midianites.

When you read through the Bible, it becomes clear pretty quickly, that God has never really been impressed with 'great men', at lease not those that the world considers to be great. God is much more interested in those people who can see that he is the one and only 'Great God'. Our earthly families may not have a great name, or a great empire, or a great history. However, families that have great faith in the Great God, can be confident that they are part of the greatest family of all time, the family of God.

So don't let your family history, of even your family's present situation, get in the way of you living your life as a child of God, because that is the greats thing any one of us can hope to be.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to break free of any family history that may still be having a lingering effect on my life. Help me to life fully each day in my identity as one of your precious children and part of your eternal and forever family. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.