Sometimes when I do a good
job, I just don’t get the credit I think I deserve. The hero of our lesson today, Tola, knows a
little bit about that. After Abimelech,
a really evil ruler died, he was succeeded by Tola. If all you looked at was how much Scripture
real estate is used on each, you might think Abimelech was wonderful. For
context, Abimelech gets 56 verses and 1,441 words going into great detail about
all of the terrible things he did.
Compare that to Tola, who received two verses totaling a mere 46
words. Abimelech tormented the country
for just three years and Tola “saved Israel” and led them for twenty-three
years. Thankfully, his (and our reward)
is not here but in Heaven!
Judges 10:1-2 - After the time of Abimelech, a man of
Issachar named Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to
save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. He
led Israel twenty-three years; then he died and was buried in Shamir.
Things to think about:
· If I empty
the dishwasher or pick up the disaster after our grandkids go back home, you
can be sure I want to get some praise for it.
In fact, if my wife doesn’t step up to the plate in a timely enough
fashion and with the proper level of adulation, you can be sure she’s going to
hear about it.
o
OK, let’s be honest – do you sometimes feel you get the shaft for
getting recognized when you do something you’re proud of?
o
And, if I don’t get the credit I think I’m due, I’m more than
happy to fill the void
§ Proverbs 27:2
- Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not
your own lips.
· So, who are
we trying to please, men or God?
o
Galatians 1:10 - Am I now trying to win the approval of human
beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying
to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
o
What can drive us to feel the need for human approval?
§ Pride,
insecurity, acceptance
· When we do
take matters into our own hands, it completely negates whatever eternal reward
we may have had coming our way.
o
Matthew 6:1-4 - “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in
front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward
from your Father in heaven. So, when you give to the needy, do not announce it
with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be
honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But
when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand
is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you.
· Our time will
come, it’s just not now
o
1 Peter 5:6 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand
of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you
o
I’ll bet Tola is one happy guy in Heaven!
· And when our
time comes, it will be for eternity
o
Daniel 12:3 – (The archangel Michael speaking) - Those who are
wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those
who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Next time you’re tempted to toot your own horn,
remember God wants to give you so much more than fleeting recognition
here.
·
1 Corinthians
2:9 - “What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the
things God has prepared for those who love Him
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