Mike's Memo
Mike’s Memo
After Joshua died, the Israelites did the very thing God told them not to
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They began to worship and serve the gods of the people who were in the
promised land before they even got there. Because of their rebellion, God
allowed the different nations to conquer them. They did what was right in
their own eyes, and it cost them everything. They would then cry out to God,
and He would send Judges to defeat their enemies. One of these Judges only
has one verse about him and then is just mentioned again in one other verse.
Judges 3:31 says, “After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck
down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.”
An oxgoad is a long, pointed stick used to drive oxen. One man killed 600
men with a stick. That is one battle that I wish I could have witnessed.
I love movies where one man is able to beat up a gang attacking him, but
that is just in the movies. This was real.
One lesson we can learn from Shamgar is that God loves to use ordinary
people. Shamgar wasn't a trained soldier but an everyday farmer and
rancher. We know almost nothing about him except that he made himself
available to be used by God. Another lesson is that Shamgar used what was
available to him. He used a non-weapon that he was familiar with to defeat
the enemy. When Saul offered David his weapon and armor, David had to
remove it because it was uncomfortable to him. Shamar didn't know how to
use a sword or a spear but he was deadly with an oxgoad. If oxgoading was
an Olympic sport, he would not only have won gold but probably would be
the only one competing.
Shamgar was victorious not because he was a great warrior but because of
God's great power. When we put our faith in God, it will cause us to take
bold actions for God. God will place us in a place where only He can have
the success, so that only He can get the glory. What are we as a church
attempting for God that is so big that only He can pull it off?
Love you,
Mike
Church Facts & Figures for March
Sunday School Enrollment 350
Sunday School Weekly Average 198
Autumn Winds Weekly Average 10
New Church Members 1
Decrease in Church Members 0
Budget Tithes / Offerings $49,896.27
Hispanic Ministry Offerings $2,196
Annie Armstrong Goal - $7,500 $6,114.50