QUALITY (ALWAYS) TRUMP QUANTITY

MEMORY 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

BIBLE READING: 2 Samuel 5-8

Judges 6:1 says: ‘And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.’ The children of Israel saw horrors in the hands of the Midianites. When the suffering became unbearable, the children of Israel cried unto God and He heard them; He raised a judge for them, Gideon. At first, Gideon was reluctant to lead the children of Israel against the Midianites, but the Lord demonstrated to him through various signs that He was going to deliver the Midianites into his hands. Gideon gathered 30, 000 men and went to war against the Midianites.

Judges 7:7 says: ‘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.’ Out of the 30000, only 300 were quality soldiers. The other 29,700, as far as the Lord was concerned, were just numbers i.e. quantity. Their hearts were not right; they were fearful. No wonder, majority of them turned back when Gideon announced that anyone that is fearful and afraid to leave. With 300 men, the Lord delivered the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east, armies too much to number, into the hands of Gideon. A large army does not always guarantee victory as you saw in the case of Gideon and the Midianites. Also, military experience does not always guarantee victory. David, an ordinary civilian, defeated Goliath, the champion of Gath. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong (Ecclesiastes 9:11). As afar as you have God on your side, you can achieve much with a few. Jesus achieved much with a few (twelve quality disciples). It is not the number of children one has that matters, but what God does through the children. Old Elizabeth had only one child, John the Baptist. The Bible records that he is the greatest of all the Old Testament prophet (Luke 7:28).

NOTE: It is not the number of things you know how to do averagely that matters, but the number of things you know how to do very well. Many a time, they are very few probably one or two. Be a master at something!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

Quality and timing of seed

Sunday 5 August                                     Bible in one year:Proverbs 4-7

Memorise: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5

One foundational truth about giving is that the way seed is sown will determine the type of harvest it will bring.The costliest seed opens the greatest doors.Do not sow anyhow but let your sowing be a deliberate effort,targeted at a definite result.This should guide you in sowing your seed : Before  you sow, determine the type of harvest you want,prayerfully consider the seed that can trigger that harvest,then go ahead and sow. If you want small harvest ,sow small but if you want some  big harvest,sow big. If you want an enduring harvest, sow regularly and continuously towards it . If you want a precious harvest or a harvest of high value, sow valuable and precious seeds. If you want harvest that people have received before , sow the seed that people have given before, but if you want a harvest that nobody has received before,then sow the seed nobody has given before. If you want God’s treasury to be open to you 24/7, open your treasury to God 24/7. If you want God’s all, give your all. The harvest you get is largely depended on you.

The timing of an offering is also very important.Some seeds you will be required to give may still be relevant after six months or a year.But there are some seeds you will be required to sow at an opportune time. If you fail to sow the seed at such  a time, even if you later do so, you would have missed heavenly promo or jackpot attached to it.God is the Father of all born again Christians. It is His duty to take care of us and He has promised to do so.Supposing a particular brother is in dire need of money and the fellow is holding onto God;in response , the Lord looks around and He finds you; He tells you to go immediately to meet the brother’s needs but you refused, feigning you do not know if it is God speaking to you. That need may not have been met because of your hardness of heart, and the brother will be discourage because God would have been painted as an unfaithful God by your inaction.But if you immediately responded and tell the fellow God sent you to him, he will be very glad and God will reward you for your obedience.

KEY POINT: if every believer will obey God promptly, credibility issues that are raised concerning God or His word will be drastically reduced.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye