What needs to happen for you and me to do something great for God? Do we need a big day of soulwinning, a special event, or a guest speaker? One of my favorite characters in the Bible is a man named Jonathan. Jonathan wanted to see God work in his life.

In I Samuel chapters 13 and 14, the Israelites are at war with the Philistines. In chapter 14, verse 1, Jonathan decides he is not going to sit around and wait for the battle to come to him; instead, he chooses to take the fight to the Philistines. What was his REASONING? The Bible says in verse 1, “Now it came to pass upon a day.” It was simply an ordinary day. Jonathan did not need a special REASON to confront the enemy — he just wanted to see God work.

Second, notice Jonathan’s RESOLVE. Verses 9–10 make it clear that Jonathan was determined to fight the battle, whether victory was guaranteed or not. As Christians, we must decide that regardless of the outcome, we will always do what we know is right.

Finally, consider the RESULT of Jonathan’s courage. In verses 13–16, we read that the Lord not only gave victory at that garrison but also brought defeat to a larger force of the enemy elsewhere. In addition, Jonathan’s courage inspired the rest of the Israelite army to join the fight. We may never fully know how much God can accomplish through our simple decision to serve Him.

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Robert Simmons, C Ministry Director

Robert Simmons works on the faculty of Golden State Baptist College. He is the College Bus Ministry Director and the Men’s Dorm Supervisor.