Called, Chosen and Committed

A few years ago, while coaching at a small college, I recruited a young man named Luke. I had several knowledgeable people tell me that Luke would not make a good basketball player for our team. To my knowledge, Luke may not have had any other schools approach him about playing college basketball. I was told there were several other players that would serve our program better.

It was true that there were players who could shoot better. There were players who could handle the ball better. There were players who were faster and stronger. However, there was something about Luke that told me he would be good for our program. He had something that the other players didn’t have. Luke was the hardest working, most determined player I ever saw. He was the ultimate competitor. He did whatever was asked of him and worked extremely hard. Luke was a very valuable member of two successful teams for us. His success can be credited to his ability to understand what he was capable of doing. He knew that while he wasn’t the best shooter or ball handler, he could still work hard.

Luke did all the things we asked of him, and although he did question us at times, he became one of the most valuable players the program ever had. When we originally called Luke and invited him to join our program, he had some reluctance. But Luke knew that we had intentionally chosen him, and he was committed to doing the very best he could for our program.

As I read Judges 7:1-15, I can’t help but see the similarities between Luke and the 300 men God chose for Gideon’s army. In verse 3, when Gideon told the faint of heart that they could go home, the 300 were part of the 10,000 that stayed. When God sorted the 300 from the 10,000 in verse 5, it says that they were chosen because of the way they performed a certain task. Once they were selected and chosen, they were committed to doing their job until the end.

Gideon’s army believed in their calling. And like that army acted on faith that Gideon, their leader, knew what he was doing, Luke acted on faith in his leaders. Gideon acted upon God’s orders. Gideon and his army acted in obedience and were ultimately successful. Luke’s obedience and commitment paid off for him. Will yours?