Proverbs 14:4 - Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

I was moved very much by our bible study today.  I really dig this whole, doing stuff thing.  I have always held on to the “do things, that are doomed to fail if God’s not in ‘em.”(my version) 

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

And it’s always a great reminder that we are created for good works, and that they have already been prepared for us.  The story of Jonathan and his armor bearer (1Samuel 14) has always really spoken to me.  Two dudes, against a whole army; two dudes and an awesome faith that God had a plan… right now.  I think the part that speaks to me the most here, is the sheer madness of what Jonathan was proposing.  But there is amazing depth (for me) it what Jonathan says.  “Let us cross over to these men,” he says.  Jonathan does not do what I do, which is lay the whole plan out first, then crumble as soon as something goes wrong.  No, Jonathan just says lets go over there and see what God does next.  Let’s go over there and see what works God has planned for us.

2Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

My little boy (Breyson - 8) and his sister (Brenna - 10) were talking in the car on the way to one of his baseball games.  Brenna asked Breyson if he was scared of getting hit or something like that.  Out of the wondrous wisdom that only little kids have, Breyson said, “No. I’m not scared – I just have butterflies.” I think Jonathan and his armor bearer must have had ‘butterflies’ – I can't imagine that as a young man David stood before the awesome Giant Goliath; and his stomach did not turn a little.  I think as we step out into thing’s, there will no doubt be apprehension, worry, and butterflies.  The first time I led worship on a wed night I still remember the microphone seemed like it was the size of a basketball, my guitar weighed a ton, and the church building must have been 125 degrees.

But in all those cases, the stall still got dirty.  It seems to me when we step out in faith to do, those good works which God has planned for us, that there will always be those two forces working against each other.  Our spirit (God’s leading) and our flesh (all the reasons we can’t) And the choice is ours whether we get the stall dirty, and get to work.  Or keep the stall nice and clean……