Jephthah,was
the ninth judge of Israel. He was a valiant warrior and was also the
son of a prostitute. He also made a vow to God, that if the Lord were
to give him the victory over their enemies, that he would offer
anything that came out of his house, as a sacrifice unto the Lord.
This appears to be a very foolish vow. Yet God takes what some men
call foolish or a slip of the lip, and honors the man, by placing him
in the Hebrew's Hall of Faith. The Lord knew Jephthah long before he
was even born, and that one day he would be a great man despite a
difficult life and childhood. What was Jephthah thinking when he made
such a vow? We will never know, but he never dreamed it would be his
daughter, but God knew. Yet he loved God so much and was grateful for
all He had done for him, that he was willing to give anything to show
his love and appreciation. And he showed it by still keeping his
word, and offer his only child ,a daughter to the Lord. She was
probable the joy of his life, because she also loved the Lord like
her father. Jephthah's greatness and humility can also seen in his
daughter's final request as she to was willing to give herself
completely to the Lord, and forgo any hopes or dreams that she might
have. Just as Abraham and Issac also had to do something similar.
(Gen22:2-18)
The
apostle Paul referred to himself as “a fool for Christ”. (1
Corth. 4: 10) Nothing matter more to him than to know Christ, and to preach
the cross on which He die. He counted everything, including his "light"
affliction as nothing compared to the glory set before him. That
Glory is Jesus Christ, the Pearl of Great Price, the Prize at the end
of the race; and Beloved of the Heavenly Father.
“Along
the journey, the fire of God's love that begins to burn within,
causes us to surrender the things that we lean on for fulfillment. We
willingly submit them to His inner cleansing flame.” --John Crowder
As
sons and daughters of the God, we have chosen to give up the things
that were once precious to us in order to serve Christ, because He
has become the most important thing and person in our life. He has
become our All in all, everything is found in Him. Nothing can
compare with His wonderful and endless love. The Lord always honors
those who have made great sacrifices done in faith, even thought the
world often considers them naive and foolish.
“He
is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot
lose.”--jim elliot
