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Theme: SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Text: “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” – Judges 6:12, 13.
Comment: The angel of God described Gideon as a “mighty man of valour” and charged him, “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites”. (Judges 6:12-14) He had protested, “… Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” He also told him, “…Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man”. (Judges 6:15, 16) In the context of the theme, Entrepreneurship it is well known that some people have the talent to excel in certain endeavours but fail to pursue their ideas or plans because they look down on themselves and magnify the obstacles that may stand on their way, whereas, they have the capacity to surmount them by the grace of God. In the case of Gideon, he felt the social and economic status of his family would work against him and that he would not be able to carry out the task being given him by the Lord. But with reassurance from God he was able to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. It goes without saying that if arrogant people realize that it is by the power of God they attained their positions in life, they would not be proud but would be willing to help others to climb up the ladder by the grace of God.