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If you know the account of Gideon in the Bible you probably know that he was a man who set out a fleece in order to determine whether he could fully trust the word that he was receiving from the Lord. Although Gideon is rarely used as an example of someone who is a pillar of faith, it is not uncommon to point to reference his story when we aren’t sure what we should do. After all God provided Gideon with two clear signs that was his job to conquer Midian. Then God fulfilled His promise by giving Gideon victory after drastically reducing the number of armed men that went with him to fight (Judges 6:36-7). “Putting out a fleece” has become Christian vernacular for seeking a sign from God regarding the action someone should take.

What happens to Gideon after God uses him is often left out of the Sunday School stories. After returning from victory, Gideon used the spoils of war to create an artifact (called a ephod) which soon became an object of worship for the Israelites. The man who had been so afraid to go to battle set up a symbol of his conquest and as it says it Judges 8, “it became a snare to Gideon and his family.” The implication is that, along with the rest of the nation of Israel, Gideon and his family begin to trust in the symbol of victory rather than the One who provided it.

It is tempting to wonder how Gideon could possibly do this (after all – he clearly knew at one point that he was incapable of winning the fight), however it is a enticement that is not unique to him. We are all apt to rely on on our abilities, insights, and talents to do the work that God has set before us. We are all prone to forgetfulness about Who is accomplishing the task when we begin to receive accolades for the outcome. Like Gideon, we go from wallowing in our inadequacies to trumpeting our abilities. And like Gideon we may go from relying on God, to trusting in ourselves.

But we must fight this.

Because as the rest of Gideon’s story demonstrates, self-trust is a futile endeavor. Gideon was right – he was incapable of taking on the Midianites – but God was not. Gideon wasn’t the main actor in the story – he was the instrument that God used to accomplish His purposes. Trusting in the tool is short-sighted; it assumes the instrument has power and intentionality all on its own. But it is only when the tool is wielded by the hand of the Master that it can accomplish its purpose.

So while we may be tempted to trust in ourselves and our successes, we must remain steadfast in relying on the One who not only provides the success, but equips us with what we need to accomplish it.

When we present the Gospel we often focus on the message of salvation.

This make sense. After all – what we want people to know is how they can be saved from their sins an spend eternity with God.

It is this message that they are most likely to respond to because it is in their self-interest to do so. It may be what first attracted us to a relationship with Christ; we realized the depravity of our sin and the need we had for a Savior.  Understanding how Christ’s death and resurrection provided our redemption is critical in coming to a place of repentance and faith.

And while the Gospel is clearly the anthem of salvation, the biblical Gospel also hearkens another tune. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:16-17 (ESV):

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,  as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.

In other words – the Gospel is about salvation – true. But the Gospel also broadcasts God’s righteousness. His justice is on display, as is His mercy and grace. His love is proclaimed, as it is goodness, kindness, patience and peace. The truth of His Word is herald and His faithfulness is trumpeted.  All of Who God is, is demonstrated most clearly to us through the fact that He sent His Son to die a death that He did not deserve so that His enemies might be called His kids.

The Gospel is about how God provided a way for us, but it is also gives us the most powerful expression of the God we are called to serve.

And when we tell the Good News to others we need to make sure both these things are made clear.