The 300 Club

I'm doing a guest post for Warren Baldwin, the author of Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks. I hope you join me in The 300 Club!

My husband is intrigued by the story of God forming Gideon’s army to fight against the Midianites. We discuss this story together because we crave to be part of the 300 men God uses to show His glory. We all know that God slims down the army of 32,000 so He can ensure that the victory is obviously His alone. However, why does God choose to use those particular men? What is different about them that they are granted the honor of fighting? How can Christians today ensure that we are part of the infamous 300 Club?

Finally, after much conversation and study, my husband and I came up with three characteristics that separate these men from the crowd. I believe every single man among the 32,000 had an opportunity to serve God, but each chose to bow out of God’s plan by A) his lack of trust in God, B) his lack of hunger for God and C) his lack of obedience to God. God wants all of His children to share in His glory, but He gives us free will to choose. Whether or not we are willing to be a part of God’s amazing adventure is up to us.

God first whittles down the army by allowing those who were afraid to leave the fight and go home. Twenty-two thousand men walk out on the amazing demonstration that God is about to perform. I believe that this is the number one reason today Christians do not fulfill their destiny – they are afraid. This fear shows a lack of trust in God, and this lack stops the blessings of God. Psalm 84.12 (NIV) reads, “O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.” The men who show courage trust that God is about to do something spectacular, and they know that they will share in the bounty.

Only 10,000 men are left after the doubtful leave. These are the men who trust in God and want to do His will, but the question is “Do they thirst for God?” God tells Gideon to have all the men go down to the water to take a drink. Although the Bible doesn’t specify, I believe not all 10,000 men make the trek down to the water. I’m sure many of the men did not feel thirsty, so they decide to stay behind on dry land. Jesus said in Matthew 5.6 (NIV), “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The men who thirst for God have a desire to do His will, but the men who do not desire Him will stay behind.

Finally, at the water source God separates the men one more time. Not only must we trust God and thirst for Him, we have to be obedient to His nontraditional and sometimes crazy will. Out of all the men who drank water, only 300 of them lapped it up like a dog, and those are the men God could use. Although the entire image of lapping water has many implications, I’m fascinated that God chose the men who go against the norm, who are different. What I’ve learned about God is that He is not predictable, and He doesn’t do things the way the world does. Jesus is the prime example. The world expected a King, but God gave them a Carpenter. Job declares in Job 37.5 (NIV), “God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.” God does things differently, and if we crave to do His will, we can’t worry about what others are doing. Our obedience to God will cause us to stand out in mainstream culture.

God employed those 300 men to defeat the Midianites in a way that would not be documented in any wartime strategy manual. In fact, if each man did not trust God, thirst for Him and obey Him, the army would never have been able to pull off a victory – everything centered on God’s ability and the men’s compliance. There was no room for fear, selfishness or disobedience. Each man had to be crazy in love with God and willing to execute His bizarre plan. My desire for all Christians is that we make it into God’s 300 Club. We don’t have to be smart, popular or perfect; we just have to want God more than anything. My husband and I are ready to enlist in God’s plan. Will you join us?

Reference: Judges 7

You can also read this article over at Warren's Blog here!

Signed Book Giveaway: Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs

And the winner is... Winston Manor!
Warren will be mailing you a signed copy of his book. Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who had fun with us!

Every comment on this post gets entered into a drawing to win a signed copy of Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs. We will draw the winner next Wednesday, May 12th!

Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks is a wonderful book of devotions written by Warren Baldwin. Each devotion take less than 10 minutes to read, but each offers numerous Godly insights from Proverbs that are relevant for our lives today.

The topics of each devotion range from your family life to your spiritual walk. One of my favorite devotions is "Rebuke" based on Proverbs 27.5, which reads, "Better is open rebuke than hidden love." The insight that Warren explores on this topic was so helpful to me because I have difficulty distinguishing between criticism and rebuke. As Christians, we need to love people enough to confront sin.

Another of my favorite devotions is "Entitlement and Exemptions" based on Proverbs 19.3, which reads, "A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord." Warren gives every day examples of how the Spirit of Entitlement can rob people of living God's best for them. This encouraged me to raise my children with love but without indulgence.

Warren graciously conducted a short Internet interview for me.

1) What prompted you to start writing meditations? How long did it take you to compile your book, Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks?

I write daily devotionals for our local radio station. It dawned on me that I should write some on a theme with the view toward publishing them one day. It took about two years to write Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks.

2) You have well over a 100 meditations in your book that cover a broad range of topics. How do you prepare to write on a topic? Which topic is your favorite to explore?

All of the topics/discussions in Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks are based on verses in Proverbs. I would continually read through Proverbs, meditate on the various verses I selected, read about them in commentaries or language works, and think about how I could explain or illustrate the meaning of the proverb in contemporary terms. Sometimes I explain the proverb, if it is a difficult one to understand, and sometimes I just tell a story to illustrate the message of the verse. My favorite topic is probably proverbs that address attitudes and how those attitudes influence behavior. I have several chapters on such attitudes as a mocking spirit, anger and envy.

3) What is your weekly writing schedule? What motivates you to write and who encourages you in your writing?

I try to write five of these short chapters a week, but don’t always get to. The radio station runs a certain amount of reruns because not everyone hears them every morning. They have years of the devotionals on file to draw reruns from (I’ve been doing this for ten years now). Actually, I draw encouragement from everyone who says, "I liked your program" or "I liked that chapter in your book." The thought that someone, somewhere, might read one of these and get a good idea that helps their marriage or helps to rebuild a relationship keeps me writing.

4) Why do you think your book would be a good resource for Christians? What do you hope your readers will glean from your writing?

I hope Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks will be a good resource for Christians because it addresses so many aspects of the Christian life, including marriage, parenting, attitudes, and daily living. Hopefully, the proverbs are presented in such a way to demonstrate that the message of the ancient wisdom is within reach of everybody. We sometimes read through Proverbs quickly and glean a few good ideas. The proverbs are actually meant to be read slowly and reflectively. I try to read a chapter a day, then pick one of the proverbs in that chapter that resonated with me for some reason, and think about it for 10 minutes or so. What is this saying? What would it have meant in ancient Israel? How might that meaning travel over time to 21st century America and my life today? How could I share this truth with someone today who might need to hear this? Hopefully, after reading this book, readers will feel encouraged to engage in this process themselves.

5) Can you explain the title of your book?

I get asked that a lot! A book of devotions on Proverbs with a title like this and a picture of a mountain lion and a cliff on the front is unusual, I admit. Somehow, calling this a "Collection of Devotionals on Proverbs" didn’t sound too interesting. So I took the titles of two of the chapters and used them in the title. A wild animal on a mountain top in Wyoming growled at me. I couldn’t see it to identify it, but a Game and Fish employee in Wyoming told me it was probably a mountain lion. I tell that story in the book, giving that chapter and the book itself part of the title. Plus, men seem more drawn to the book with the title and cover than they might have been had it been titled, "Quiet Moments with Proverbs."

Author Bio: Warren Baldwin

Cheryl and I have been married for 28 years and have ministered together all that time. We have been with churches in Florida, Wyoming and Kansas. Three children have blessed our home: a son who is a youth minister in Wyoming; a daughter majoring in elementary education in her junior year in college; and a daughter still at home. Her golf, basketball and softball pictures tend to show up regularly on my blog!

If you would like more information about Warren Baldwin, please visit the following websites. You will find that his words of wisdom will draw you closer to God and give you clarity on how to live a full Christian life!

Family Fountain Blog
Warren Baldwin's Site
Book Overview

Thanks, Warren!