Surprising Hall of Faithers

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Hebrews 11:32

Check out this grouping of men. Of course, you've got David and Samuel rounding it out--men who's great faith and accomplishments inspired countless children to be named after them for millenia. But first we have Gideon, also well known and liked, but when it comes right down to it, a man of weak faith...a borderline coward, truth be told. There's Barak, a man who was never himself a number one man, but instead was the two-man...to a woman leader in a male-dominated society. Then Samson, a man who never could control his desires and was ultimately destroyed by his lust and his pride. And Jephthah, the son of a prostitute, illegitamate, despised by his own, a nothing in his world. What an assortment of misfits to be listed in the "Hall of Faith"! Yet, here they are. We should keep in mind that God's vision goes a little further than ours, His standard of success is not always what we would think. Don't try to judge the efficacy of one's faith or the quality of their Christianity based on what you can see. You can try to justify it by dubbing it "fruit inspecting" or whatever you please, but the simple fact of the matter is, we don't usually know. We must be very, very cautious...because that person we consider an average or sub-par Christian just might end up in God's hall of fame when all is said and done.