Actions speak louder than words

I was assigned administrator duties today on the Rebelution forums. It looks like it is going to be quite a bit of work... but definitely worth it. I am in the process of learning phpBB3 forum stuff. I am also learning regular php as a directed study at school. It is definitely a blessing to work with a bunch of other young people that are seeking to please God. I'm not saying that this organization is perfect or anything. There are definitely things that I disagree with at times, but overall, the whole idea of pursuing excellence and not wasting those teen years is something that this generation really needs. I was reading Judges 8 today. It was really sobering. The people of Israel want Gideon to be their ruler after they took out Median. You'd think that Gideon would be all for that, but he does the wise thing... he says no, God will lead Israel. That is a great example of humility, but right after that, Gideon asks for gold earrings from the people, and then what does he do? He goes and makes an idol! The people turn away from the Lord, and that is that. I don't get it! God just delivered the people of Israel, and now they turn away from Him. I guess we must be reminded that we are never so good that we can't fall away from God. We must be committed to Him both in our words and our actions. Gideon was humble with his words, but chose to do things his own way. Let's do things God's way!