A Hammer and Spike
What is this to you? What does it mean? What does it say? Can you use it? Is it helpful?
Think not in a general but rather in a personal way. You Kristen. Can you use it?
Over 3000 years ago, a woman used a peg much like this to triumph over an entire nation. talk about using what was at hand. Imagine the day – air filled with the tension and muted sounds of battle and blood and death. The enemy king rides into your camp. Your hands tremble. Do you have the nerve to do what is right? Do you have the tools?
Judges 4:17-23
Funny how being resourceful ended up being exactly what God intended.
Resourceful is a word not found in the Bible. It is, however, an attribute to be found in many of the Bible’s characters.
Resourceful = having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties.
Let’s take a look at what Proverbs 31 shows about being resourceful.
Proverbs 31:14
14She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
From this passage, we can see a bit of the resourceful woman. Even though she is right here, the variety she is able to come up with (in her food) is like a foreign merchant ship. She is “resourceful.”
Have any of you ever been in need (or want) of something – and you didn’t have the means to get it?
It’s Saturday night and fellowship lunch is tomorrow. You’ve got only enough gas to get to church tomorrow. It’s already 9:30, which means that everywhere in Henderson is closed…
Perhaps you had a bit of oats, raisins, and chocolate chips – so you threw them all into the cookies dough at once. Perhaps you freeze old bananas to make banana bread. Old bread for bread pudding. You’re being… resourceful.
My Aunt Charlotte is famous for her moist, delectable, basically to-die-for zucchini bread. What most people don’t realize: she bakes a bunch of them all at once and freezes them. When someone passes away or if she’s visiting a new member or a visitor, she can pop one out of the freezer to defrost overnight.
Sometimes you have to come up with creative solutions for food necessities.
But the resourceful woman is not contained to the kitchen.
Matthew 25:14-30
What did the two good slaves do? Invest their money? Set up small businesses? Trade in cattle?
We don’t know.
We do know that the one who unimaginatively buried his talent in the ground was the one who did the wrong thing.
I’m not saying that we need to use imagination with God’s word. I’m not saying we need to make up and create his commands and expectations for us.
What I’m saying is that we can be creative and helpful with what God has given us – and how we use it – for ourselves, for others, for Him.
Exodus 2:1-10
Place yourself in Jochabed’s place. You’ve given birth to a beautiful baby boy. You can hardly rejoice because you realize that Pharaoh wants nothing but to kill your baby. You can’t run away. You can’t hide a child. You can’t drop the child on someone else’s doorstep. They have the same problem. You can’t discuss the situation with Pharaoh.
She takes what she has – a basket – and she waterproofs it with the pitch (I don’t suppose there were specialty baskets designed for sending your child downriver). She uses what’s at hand for the only option she sees. She proceeds to hand the entire situation over to…. God.
Sometimes being resourceful means finding the means to give your life and your troubles over to God.
Genesis 3:6-8
Being resourceful only works when you’re following Godly guidelines.
It doesn’t work so well when trying to escape punishment or commands. Eve wasn’t being resourceful. She was trying to cover up her own mistakes.
But back to Jael and Jochabed and the men with several talents. How we can you and I be as resourceful as they?
Ephesians 5:15-16
15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
16making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
1 Timothy 6:7-8
7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
Romans 12:13
13contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Do we notice the needs of those around us? Do we see that Joanna needs a new microwave or that Brittany needs new socks? Do we notice small acts of kindness we can do for others?
Perhaps you can find another woman struggling financially that has the same size shoe. Perhaps if you don’t have the sort of house for hospitality you can couple with another friend – get together a potluck of sorts – invite the elders over or a visitor from church.
Being resourceful is finding ways you can serve God with what you have – you’ve got your hands and your mind, right? Many of you have a car. Use it to take a friend to church or an older person out to lunch or to the supermarket or the doctor’s. How are you using the blessings that God has given you to find creative and imaginative solutions for God’s work – helping others and bringing others to Christ?
