elieve in me I will believe in myself. Since nobody
else will help me, I will help myself. If I am to be robbed of my
inheritance I will make a way of my own." And so he set to work. He
did not spend his time hunting up his neighbors to tell them of his
misfortunes. He did not put in his time boasting of what he would do
if he were as well off as his half brothers down in Israel. He went to
work to build his fortune in the here and now. And little by little he
won.

And then one day a runner came to him in the field and said, "Jephthah,
you have company at your house." And the man looked up in surprise and
said, "Company! Who is it?" "A committee of elders from Israel." And
Jephthah is astonished. He is filled with wonder. He is trying to
guess why they came. And with the problem unsolved he goes to meet his
guests.

These elders greet him like a long lost son. They tell him how they
rejoice in his prosperity. They informed him how they had always known
that he would make good. They let him know that they would never have
sent him out of Israel if they had had their way about it. And then at
last they gather courage to tell him their errand. And they say,
"Israel is being besieged by the Ammonites and we want you to come and
be the commander-in-chief of our armies."

Well, now that was a shock. Here was a young fellow who began with
nothing, and worse than nothing. But instead of whining, instead of
quitting, instead of complaining that he had no chance, instead of
putting in his time wishing that he was somewhere else, he did his duty
where he was. And folks found it out and came to kneel at his feet and
ask him for help. And I am not saying, young man, that every man gets
his just deserts, but I do say that in the overwhelming majority of
cases, if a man is really any account, sooner or later somebody will
find it out. It may be true that

"Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."

But I doubt if any gem of real human worth ever lies permanently
concealed. I seriously question if any radiant flower of human
character ever wastes its sweetness on the desert air. Learn to do
something that the world needs to have done and men will make a path to
your door even if you live in a desert.

They came and asked Jephthah for help. It is a humiliating experie