{"id":23560,"date":"2018-07-25T04:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=23560"},"modified":"2018-07-24T12:00:16","modified_gmt":"2018-07-24T19:00:16","slug":"july-25-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/07\/25\/july-25-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"July 25, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cBut he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.\u201d<\/em> 2 Samuel 23:12<\/p>\n

Field o\u2019 Beans<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One summer, when I was a bored 14-year-old, my mother told me to get busy and find something to do. We had just moved to a new area and I had no friends yet. I saw a sign advertising the start of Vacation Bible School on the front lawn of a church a few blocks away. My family did not attend a church, and I didn\u2019t know a single person there, but I walked there one day, found someone working on the grounds, and volunteered to help.<\/p>\n

Church volunteers are sometimes hard to find, and they seemed glad to have me. The ministry they gave me? Getting popsicle sticks ready for crafts\u2014counting, bundling, painting, gluing. I can tell you, that job lost its luster rather quickly. I wanted important work. I wanted to teach the kids. I wanted to read the stories. I wanted to play the games. Other people had been given those jobs. In retrospect, I\u2019m sure they were just giving me something to do.<\/p>\n

One of David\u2019s mighty men named in 2 Samuel 23 was Shammah. As a side note, the name Shammah is also used as a name of God: Jehovah Shammah, meaning \u201cGod is here.\u201d Shammah had been given the job of guarding a field of lentils or beans. I imagine he would rather have been doing something, you know, mighty-ish. His job was important, for if he failed to stand in the field of beans, an enemy might steal the beans, and the army\u2019s food supply would be diminished. The job had purpose\u2014but it was surely boring.<\/p>\n

But Shammah was faithful. True to his name, he \u201cwas there.\u201d He was where he was put. And when the Philistine army came to take the beans, and the rest of the people took off running (verse 12), he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines.<\/p>\n

For being faithful to his task, and then for courageously fighting off the enemy at personal risk, a victory was won. \u201cSo the LORD brought about a great victory.\u201d Of course, one man could not defend beans AND fight an army of warriors AND kill them all. It had to be God\u2019s doing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let us likewise be faithful to even a seemingly menial ministry, for God has a purpose for ALL His callings. He uses those things to build His kingdom\u2014and to mature us.<\/p>\n

\u201cJehovah Shammah, just as You are here, grant us the heart to \u201cbe here\u201d in all the ways You have ordained to use us. May we not seek for greatness, but only seek to show Your greatness. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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