July 9, 2025 – The Diamond of Grace on Black Velvet
Judges 11:1
Sermon: 1807 Men of Strength, Part 1
Pray Over This
“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.”
Judges 11:1
Ponder This
Not every person used by God has a great background. This man had a bad birth and bad background, but he was going to be used by God. Even if we look back and feel like our birth was a mistake, we can be born again and become a royal blueblood, a child of the King. If you've had a rough background, that may be the black velvet on which the diamond of God’s grace is displayed.
Many people in Scripture rose up out of great difficulty to great power. Think of Joseph. He was disowned by his brothers, sold as a slave, lied about, slandered, and left in prison, but his abasement was God’s plan for his advancement. The Lord will often humble people before He exalts them. The power of God is greater than all the odds stacked against you, and the grace of God is greater than all your sins. It’s time to stop making alibis and excuses.
Here was a man who had a bad background, but God used Him anyway. What was special was what Jephthah did in the face of those difficulties. It is time to disentangle yourself from the past. Quit trying to say, “I’m just a victim. I’m just a bundle of bad genes, or a victim of psychological muddles,” and instead say, “I can be what I should be by the grace of God.”
- What are some things in your background that feel like a mistake?
- How has God redeemed those things?
Practice This
Talk to someone who loves Jesus but has come from a tough background. Ask that person to share his or her testimony with you.
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
You can also listen to Adrian Rogers at OnePlace.com.
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