God can raise up *anyone* to bless and serve Him, regardless of background or personal history. Jephthah was the son of a prostitute who was ostracized from his mixed family because of his heritage. He ran away from home and fell-in with "worthless fellows", and he struggled to faithfully follow God. But Jephthah was a great leader and a cunning warrior who gained the admiration of the Israelites and the blessings of God, who raised him up to deliver Israel from her enemies.

Many of us think God could never love us because of our past. Perhaps we think we've sinned too much and acted so abhorrently that God could never love or accept us. Maybe we think that we have to be "perfect" to serve Him, or maybe we look at how others live their lives and think "I could never be perfect like those people, so I can't even try". But God is a merciful creator who knows that NO ONE is perfect. ALL of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God has provided a solution: Jesus Christ! Anyone who truly believes in Jesus is forgiven of ALL of their sins and made righteous in His sight.

Jephthah had the support and blessings of God but he made a tragic mistake: he bargained with God by making a terrible promise that he didn't need to make: "God, if you'll only give me [something] I will do [this]." This unnecessary vow ultimately cost him his daughter's life. If we are faithfully serving God by praying daily, being active disciples and reading the Holy Scriptures, God will bless us and there is NO need to make rash vows...simply ask God to intervene in your life and He will!