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I really liked “The Janus Effect.” I probably would have given it five stars, but the ending was a bit anti-climatic. Good story, the characters are likable and there is plenty of suspense. The writing style is easy to read and flows well. I will be reading more by this author. 4 stars from me. For high school age and up.
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I Samuel 14:6 (NIV), “Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
I Samuel 14:20-23 (NIV), “Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. When all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also pursued them closely in the battle. So the LORD delivered Israel that day, and the battle spread beyond Beth-aven.”
It doesn’t take a great army to destroy the enemy. It does take a great God and a willing heart.
Jonathan, King Saul’s son, took it into his heart to allow God to use him, and when he told his armor bearer, the young man was willing to follow. When they did, God came through in a miraculous way. There was so much confusion in the enemy camp, that even to this day, the word “Michmash” still means utter confusion and chaos. By the time Saul showed up God had already thrown the enemy into disarray.
What happens when a few willing souls step out in faith? Others follow. They come out of the enemy’s camp and fight on the side of good. They come out of hiding, out of the dark woods. They lift their heads up out of despair and have hope. They join the battle.
Never despise small beginnings. God uses the small things and the foolish things. He uses us! That’s how He gets the glory. Nobody in their right mind would ever think that we could do it. It has to be God. It doesn’t matter what those around us are doing. Saul was a mess. He was in direct disobedience with God. He spoke curses over his troops, forbidding them even to eat. Yet, Jonathan stood up for what was right and just. No wonder he later backed David, and the two young men became fast friends. Jonathan knew in his heart that God would save by many or by few.
Never feel alone! So maybe you don’t have an armor bearer, then be one for someone else. Say to that man or woman of God, “do what seems right to you, I am with you.” Follow those who follow Christ. Be a Jonathan, or be an armor bearer. We may not know that armor bearers name, but he has been remembered all of these years. God made sure he would be written into the scriptures for our example.
We have work to do, and a battle to fight. The victory is ours, the outcome is sure. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Psalm 3:3 (NAS), But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. Our battle cry is “LOVE.”
Will you join us?
Jesus, You are my Mighty Warrior King. You go before me and make a way where there is no way. You set the enemy in confusion on my behalf, yet You give Your soldiers perfect peace!
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I Samuel 10:6-7 (NIV), “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.”
Samuel tells Saul all of this after anointing him as the first King of Israel. Good advice. The Spirit of the Lord has come powerfully into us, for those of us who have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. How much more should we “do whatever our hands find to do?” God is with us. He has given us His power. What can stop us?
Colossians 3:23 (NLT), “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Ephesians 6:7-8 (NAS), “With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.”
Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it. If you are walking through your Church, or work, parking lot and there is garbage on the ground, pick it up. If you see that the garbage needs emptying, take it out. If you are entering the grocery store and there are others behind you, hold the door. Whatever your hand finds to do, not evil, not hurtful, harmful things, but helpful, beneficial things, do them. Notice that we are doing those things for the Lord. So maybe you haven’t been doing those things, especially at work, thinking that it wasn’t part of your job description. Do it anyway. Maybe you stopped doing those things because you never got a “thank you” or any recognition. God noticed.
That paycheck isn’t a gift from your boss, you earned it. However, it is a gift from God, the check, the job, the energy and wisdom to do the work. Those are all gifts. Be thankful, and show your appreciation by working hard. Be a good example. Show the world the work ethic of God. He doesn’t do shoddy work, He doesn’t “kill time” waiting for the whistle. He doesn’t have to be reminded to do His task. He isn’t late, He always shows up, and He keeps a good attitude. We are His kids, shouldn’t we behave like our Father.
Matthew 5:13-16 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will it be salted? It is good for nothing except to be thrown outside and to be trodden upon by people. You are the light of the world. You cannot hide a city that has been built upon a mountain. And they do not light a lamp and set it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all those who are in the house. Thus your light will shine before the children of men that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”
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God has called us to a life worth living. He never intended for us to go from one meaningless task to another. Sometimes on our walk, we tend to get caught up in one aspect, such as parenting. All our time and energy is put into our children. Or maybe it is our ministry, or our job, or a hobby. Worse yet, we try to have our irons in too many fires and nothing worthwhile is ever accomplished. That’s why it is important that we simplify our lives as much as possible.
So how do we live this kind of life that matters?
We don’t have to be perfect Christians! There is no such thing! We strive to be better, but we live where we are. God uses us no matter our immaturity, no matter our faults, or our failures. If God was waiting for us to be “perfect” before He used us, nothing would have ever been accomplished in the Kingdom. Let’s take a look at some imperfect people that God used.
Elijah- we all know he was a great prophet of God. He challenged the prophets of Baal in boldness and power, only to run away from an evil queen and have the world’s biggest self pity party. God had to correct him.
Moses- God’s chosen deliverer. He brought over a million people through the wilderness. The Bible tells us he was the most humble man. Yet he made excuses to God, killed a man, and never got to see the Promised Land himself due to his disobedience.
David- He was a man after God’s own heart. Designed the temple, initiated praise and worship, fought the giant in strength and honor. Yet he committed adultery, had the woman’s husband killed, and neglected to teach his sons the way of God.
Rahab- Was a prostitute. But the woman saw God for who he was and ended up being in the lineage of Jesus.
Then we all know about the disciples. They lacked faith and discipline. Often, they seemed baffled and confused about everything Jesus tried to teach them. Some were stubborn; one was a robber and took silver to betray our Lord. Yet God used them all, even Judas.
We know all of this, so why do we think we aren’t good enough, mature enough, smart enough, or whatever, to be used in a big way by God? Why do we judge others as unworthy to be used? I think it is our expectations that are messed up. There is a huge difference in expecting better, looking to improve, and striving to be more like Jesus, and expecting perfection. Jesus was the only perfect person and even He had His “hour of flesh.” In addition, I think our idea of what make a perfect Christian is totally different that one another’s, and definitely different than God’s idea. We know that He sees the end from the beginning, but don’t be confused, and never let Satan lie to you about that. It doesn’t mean God is expecting you to be that end product right now. He is conforming us into the image of Christ.
Romans 8:29 (NIV), “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
I heard this on a radio program yesterday, “God loves you for who you are, not who you should be.” Let that sink in. Before we were saved, when we were still living according to our flesh, in darkness and in this world, we found out that God loved us. Despite the mess, despite the condition of our hearts, He loved us. We accepted that love and He adopted us into His family. Then somewhere along the way we decided that He loves us because He knows our end from the beginning. That He loves who we are going to be. That is not the whole truth. No wonder He tells us that the truth will set us free! God loved us when we were ugly in our sin, He loves who we are going to be, and most importantly He loves us know, just as we are. That old hymn, “Just as I am” holds profound truth.
Never allow that to be an excuse to stay the way we are. He wants better for us. His plans for us include great things. We have to allow change to take place, but be patient and allow the Holy Spirit to work your life. He has given us gifts and talents to do wonderful things for the Kingdom.
I Peter 4:10 (NIV), “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
Let’s look at a few people who used their gifts for God.
Acts 9:36-42 (NASB), “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did. And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.”
Tabitha made clothes for the poor. To some people that might not have been a “big” deal. Her kindness touched the heart of God and He sent Peter to raise her from the dead.
Then there were the two women who cared for the prophets of God. The first was a widow who lived at Zarephath. She only had a little oil and flour and was preparing to die, but she gave to Elijah first and God blessed her with enough to last through the famine. The second, a barren woman, set aside a room for Elisha so that whenever he passed through he had a place to call home. God blessed her with a child, and then when her son died, God used Elisha to raise him from the dead. These were small things that these women did each for just one man, but God saw them as great deeds.
When we help just one person at a time we are working for Him. When we do an outreach that reaches dozens, hundreds, or even thousands, God doesn’t see that as any more significant. We need to stop looking at our shortcomings, our lack of recourses, or our seemingly lack of time. It’s not us, it’s Him. He gets it done. We commit our way to Him and He does the behind-the-scenes work.
So maybe we are afraid of failure. We may have thought we heard God and stepped out only to find out it wasn’t Him after all. It’s happened to us all. If we let that stop us, we will never get anything done. If you missed His voice, you don’t remedy that by deciding to not listen to any voice. The answer is to practice hearing Him. Get to know Him better. Start small and do the things you know He has asked, like paying tithe, reading your word, giving to the poor, raising your children in the admonition of the Lord, and loving your neighbor. When we obey in these small things, we learn to hear Him. Our flesh is crucified and our spirit grows not only stronger, but closer in relationship with the Father.
There is risk in everything! Which do you think God is more pleased with, someone who steps out and stumbles, or the one who sits on his rump and refuses to step out at all? Be a David, be an Esther. The world needs more Corrie Ten Booms, more Tabitha’s, more like the widow at Zarephath.
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I loved this book. A great heartwarming story of courage and unlikely friendship. I give it a solid 5 stars. There were some issues with the kindle version, random numbers, text alignment, and some places that were missing double consonants, but those are all editing issues and do not affect the story at all. Great read! Going to be looking for more from this author.