Title: Leave the Results to God
Judges (30) Leave the results to God (Judges 11:12-28)
< Combination of rigidity and flexibility >
A positive life is a good life, but a positive life should not be misunderstood as 'a life that moves forward without notice or a life that moves forward without understanding and considering the circumstances before and after'. Even if you live a positive life, sometimes you need the courage to step back to take a bigger step tomorrow. If you take one step back, it seems like you are only losing yourself and you will be pushed to the end, but if you take one step back with the heart of carrying the cross, God will surely advance you ten steps. In the end, knowing how to retreat when you need to retreat is courage, and it is great to not lose your dreams and vision while retreating like that.
Although Jephthah had courage and positive faith, he did not immediately go to war, shouting “Go ahead!” It is best to avoid war as much as possible and achieve the will. War takes the lives of so many people, so leaders must control their personal emotions and find ways to avoid war as much as possible. It is not a lack of courage, but an appearance of consideration and wisdom.
Although Jephthah had a good reputation for war, he was not a war fanatic, and he had the prudence of reason and cause, so he sent an envoy to King Ammon to settle the matter peacefully through negotiations as much as possible. In order to win the battle of life like that, you need to be flexible as well as rigid. Flexibility is another expression of love, which, in biblical terms, is meekness. God values the holy willow branch that obeys God's will more than the stiff old tree.
I went to a skyscraper the other day and was surprised that the building shook violently in the wind. However, the shaking keeps the building from being shattered. Move forward with such clear goals in life, but embrace them gently. Be people-oriented rather than goal-oriented. While advancing with a clear goal, show the discipline to stop running and walking for a moment for mission and sharing.
It is the people, not the numerous goals, committees, and programs that are in Heaven. If he runs for his plans and goals and doesn't help the people he lives with, his life's focus becomes a disbelief that satisfies his desires. Even if meekness and temperance seem to be of little use in carrying out the Great Commission, sometimes stop walking. Where gentleness and love appear, the history of healing will also appear, and the history of victory in the battles of life will appear.
< Leave the results to God >
So Jephthah sent an envoy to ask, “Why have you come against my land?” King Ammon said. “Because Israel occupied my land from Arnon to Jabbok and Jordan when Israel came up out of Egypt, return it in peace now” (verse 13). At that time, Jephthah said that he could not give the land because it was God-given (verses 14-24).
Although Jephthah showed a flexible negotiating stance, he firmly insisted on God's will and said that he would not give up the land God had given him. With such a flexible attitude, go out with an indomitable will that does not give up on God's will, but leave the final result to God's judgment. Although Jephthah logically stated his assertion, he ultimately entrusted God's will, providence, and judgment with the judgment of God's righteous judgment (verses 25-28).
What is the core content of belief? It entrusts the process to God and also the result. So, if you are in a difficult situation right now, don't worry. The opportunity of blessing will surely come to faithful believers someday. For some people, the opportunity comes, but like Moses, it takes 40 years. It often takes a long time to achieve great achievements and become great people.
Don't follow problems, but follow God completely. If you follow the problem, you will follow the problem for the rest of your life, and then it will end. Spiritual power is the power that keeps you from giving up and keeping up with such problems. Now, leave all the consequences to God with the determination, “If you die, you will die!” God will deal with you absolutely if you entrust it absolutely, but He will deal with you relatively if you entrust it relatively.
Now, always confess in prayer. "God! I have believed and followed God's promises until now. If I let God go, I have nowhere to go.” If you let God go, there is no place to go, and if you absolutely leave the process of life to God as well as the results, you will surely become the hero of victory in the final sense.