The men of Ephraim said to him, "Why have you done this to us, not calling us when you went to fight against the Midianites?" And they argued with him violently. - Judges 8:1
In all my years of pastoral ministry, I have from time-to-time heard people say that the reason they do not serve in a particular ministry or help out with a particular need is that no one had asked them to do it.
When I hear this response, I always think, "Why do you need an invitation to serve God? What are you waiting for?"
Consider the above situation with Gideon. Didn't the tribe of Ephraim know that the Midianites were Israel's enemies? Weren't they already aware of God's command to "take the land" and drive out all ungodliness? Could they possibly have not known of the Midianite oppression? And yet they still complained about not being invited to the battle?!
Just in case you missed it somehow, here is the invitation for everyone who claims to belong to Christ. It comes from Him directly and it is:
"Follow Me, and keep following until I say, 'Stop.'"
I find the doing of the will of God leaves me no time for disputing about His plans. - George MacDonald
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