I don’t have a son, and the sons-in-law I’ve acquired came already named. But if I had a son, I’d name him Caleb.
You may remember that Caleb was one of 12 spies who went into Canaan to scope out the land as the children of Israel prepared to conquer it. All 12 agreed the land was bountiful and “flowing with milk and honey,” but ten of the 12 were seriously concerned about the fortified cities and the Anakites—a race of giants who lived there.
Caleb and his buddy Joshua were unintimidated. “Let’s go in immediately. The cities are strong, the people are large, but with God as our helper, we can conquer this land!”
Reason #1 why I’d name my son Caleb: He wasn’t afraid of daunting tasks, because he knew God would help him. Caleb had faith.
You may also remember that because the Israelites were wimpy, frightened, and weak in their faith, God punished them by making them wander in the wilderness until every person who said no to God had perished. Even the mighty patriarch Moses sinned and didn’t get to go into the Promised Land.
This left two men standing—Joshua and Caleb.
These men did everything right, but because of everyone else’s sin, they had to wander and wait for 38 years.
But you know what? They kept their faith. They kept their integrity. They waited patiently, served their brothers, and continued to believe that God was going to do what he’d promised.
Reason #2 why I’d name my son Caleb: He suffered because of others’ sins, yet still maintained his integrity.
Now it’s promotion time. God has told Moses he’s not going into the Promised Land, so it’s time to appoint a successor. There are only two candidates—Joshua and Caleb. Both are wise, godly, faithful, courageous men. God chooses Joshua, and Caleb gets passed over.
There’s no injustice here; God knows who’s most qualified to lead the Israelites. But don’t you think Caleb feels a bit hurt and disappointed? I know I’d be.
How does he handle it? Does he throw a tantrum, howl about how unfair God is, take his marbles and go back to Egypt? Nope. He keeps serving the Lord. He supports Joshua, throws his wholehearted allegiance behind him, and continues to faithfully carry out his duties as a leader.
Reason #3 why I’d name my son Caleb: He served faithfully in the shadow of another leader.
And finally, Caleb went the distance. When the land was largely conquered, and it was time to settle into their respective cities, Kenneth Gangel, in The Holman Old Testament Commentary on Joshua, describes Caleb’s unusual request:
“Even after 85 difficult years, Caleb had a great attitude about serving God and fighting for him. He wasn’t tired out; in fact, he was just getting excited. He didn’t walk up to his old buddy Joshua to ask for a maintenance-free, energy-saving home. . . . No, he asked for the hill country still inhabited by giants. He wanted the very area that had intimidated the other ten spies . . .”
I love this about Caleb. When he could have justifiably asked for an easy retirement, he asked instead for a daunting task he could only accomplish with God’s help and enabling. He never took the easy way out. Elisabeth Elliot is famous for saying, “When you have a choice between two things, choose the harder.”
Reason #4 why I’d name my son Caleb: He chose the harder thing.
Caleb is an amazing man of God. He clung to his faith, stood for God even when it cost him something, served faithfully in the shadow of another leader, and chose to do hard things. He’s a man I admire, respect, and want to emulate. He’s a man worthy of naming a son after, don’t you think?
I’ve barely skimmed the surface of Caleb’s life, but maybe I’ve whetted your appetite. If you’d like to read more about Caleb, check out his story beginning in Numbers 13. If you’re already familiar with this great man, what do you admire most about him? Or maybe you’d like to name your son after another godly hero of the faith. Leave a comment in the box below and share your thoughts.
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Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Wednesday
Faith Isn't a Blind Leap in the Dark
The first dentist I worked for was Jewish by birth and agnostic by practice. Early in our professional relationship he told me he didn’t have a problem with my belief in God.
“Everybody needs some kind of crutch,” he said. “If believing in God makes you feel better, I don’t have a problem with that.”
I thought of Dr. B. this morning when I read about how Jesus called his disciples to follow him.
Time after time in the Gospel accounts, Jesus gave ample proof that he was who he said he was—God in the flesh. “. . . even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father," he said in John 10:38.
Faith has never been just believing in “something to make you feel better." Nor is it a blind leap in the dark. God never calls anyone to believe in him without giving ample proof that he is worthy of our trust.
The way Jesus called his disciples is a perfect example of this. In Luke 5, Jesus was visiting Capernaum. He taught in the synagogue. He freed a man possessed by an evil spirit. He healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. That evening when multitudes flocked to him with physical ailments, he cured them all. Demons came shrieking out of people, testifying that Jesus was “the Son of God” (4:38-41).
And if that wasn’t proof enough, the next day when Simon, James, and John were out fishing, he commandeered their boat and used it as a platform from which to teach to the crowds on the shore. Afterward he told Simon, "'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.'
“Simon answered, ‘Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’
“When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (Mat. 5:4-6).
Simon couldn’t take it any longer. Overwhelmed with what he had seen Jesus do and realizing that only God in the flesh could do such things, he cried out, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
"Don't be afraid;” he reassured the men, “from now on you will catch men."
“So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”
Before Jesus called his disciples to himself, he gave them ample proof of his power, and thus, his deity.
We haven’t had the opportunity to walk and talk with Jesus Christ in the flesh, but we, too, have ample proof of his faith-worthiness.
*We have the historical record of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, including biblical and extra-biblical sources.
*We have evidence of God’s creative and sustaining hand in the world around us (Psa. 19:1).
*We have the faith record of believers down through the ages (Hebrews 11).
*We have the testimonies of contemporary believers attesting to the transforming power of the Gospel.
*We have the evidence of God’s work in our own lives.
Like Peter, my coming to faith experience happened in stages. First I heard about and read the biblical account of God’s work in ancient history. Then I listened to person after person tell how Christ had transformed their lives. Next I admitted my need for Someone greater and wiser than I to direct my life. Finally, I placed my faith in Jesus Christ and watched him begin to transform me from the person I was to the person I hoped to be.
Little by little, God revealed himself to me and drew me to himself. Instead of taking a blind leap in the dark, I placed my trust in a God who has shown himself faithful to thousands of generations.
Now it’s your turn. How has God revealed himself to you in your faith journey? Which evidences have you found most convincing? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
“Everybody needs some kind of crutch,” he said. “If believing in God makes you feel better, I don’t have a problem with that.”
I thought of Dr. B. this morning when I read about how Jesus called his disciples to follow him.
Time after time in the Gospel accounts, Jesus gave ample proof that he was who he said he was—God in the flesh. “. . . even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father," he said in John 10:38.
Faith has never been just believing in “something to make you feel better." Nor is it a blind leap in the dark. God never calls anyone to believe in him without giving ample proof that he is worthy of our trust.
The way Jesus called his disciples is a perfect example of this. In Luke 5, Jesus was visiting Capernaum. He taught in the synagogue. He freed a man possessed by an evil spirit. He healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. That evening when multitudes flocked to him with physical ailments, he cured them all. Demons came shrieking out of people, testifying that Jesus was “the Son of God” (4:38-41).
And if that wasn’t proof enough, the next day when Simon, James, and John were out fishing, he commandeered their boat and used it as a platform from which to teach to the crowds on the shore. Afterward he told Simon, "'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.'
“Simon answered, ‘Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’
“When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (Mat. 5:4-6).
Simon couldn’t take it any longer. Overwhelmed with what he had seen Jesus do and realizing that only God in the flesh could do such things, he cried out, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
"Don't be afraid;” he reassured the men, “from now on you will catch men."
“So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”
Before Jesus called his disciples to himself, he gave them ample proof of his power, and thus, his deity.
We haven’t had the opportunity to walk and talk with Jesus Christ in the flesh, but we, too, have ample proof of his faith-worthiness.
*We have the historical record of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, including biblical and extra-biblical sources.
*We have evidence of God’s creative and sustaining hand in the world around us (Psa. 19:1).
*We have the faith record of believers down through the ages (Hebrews 11).
*We have the testimonies of contemporary believers attesting to the transforming power of the Gospel.
*We have the evidence of God’s work in our own lives.
Like Peter, my coming to faith experience happened in stages. First I heard about and read the biblical account of God’s work in ancient history. Then I listened to person after person tell how Christ had transformed their lives. Next I admitted my need for Someone greater and wiser than I to direct my life. Finally, I placed my faith in Jesus Christ and watched him begin to transform me from the person I was to the person I hoped to be.
Little by little, God revealed himself to me and drew me to himself. Instead of taking a blind leap in the dark, I placed my trust in a God who has shown himself faithful to thousands of generations.
Now it’s your turn. How has God revealed himself to you in your faith journey? Which evidences have you found most convincing? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
Sunday
Will God Really Provide for Me?
What if you were a farmer and God told you not to plant for a year? Like your parents, and their parents before them, your family has always made a living from the soil. You know if you don’t plant, you don’t reap.
And if you don’t reap, you don’t eat. Your family, your community, even your nation depends on you to grow a crop that will feed them for an entire year. And God says, “Don’t plant.”
Not, “Don’t plant some of your fields,” or “Don’t plant some of your crops,” but “Don’t plant anything at all.”
How would you feel? What would you say to God?
“Don’t plant a crop, Lord? Are you CRAZY? How am I going to feed my family?”
“Just for a year,” the Lord says. “The land needs a rest, and you do, too
“A YEAR? If I don’t plant for a year, then it will be TWO years before we harvest again. You know it takes an entire season to grow a crop.”
“Do it anyway,” the Lord says. “Trust me.”
Every 50 years, the Lord called the Israelites to a celebratory year of Jubilee. We read about it in Leviticus 25. Among other things, he called for a Sabbath rest for the land. No sowing. No reaping. No farming of any kind.
Observing this year of Jubilee required the Israelites to believe that God could and would provide for them. Totally and completely. For three years, not just the required one.
He anticipated their question: “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” (v. 20).
Listen to his response: “Then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.”
Do you hear what God is saying? “Trust me. Obey me. I will take care of you. Because you are faithful and obedient, I’m going to bless you so much that when the time of empty fields comes, you’ll have enough to see you through.”
Jesus shared the New Testament parallel to this Scripture: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (everything you truly need) will be given to you” (Mat. 6:33).
Matthew 6:33 has been the plumb line for every major decision my husband and I have made in our 30 years of marriage. Unfortunately, while we’ve always owned this plumb line, we haven’t always pulled it out of our spiritual toolbox. Some days, we measured our decision with the ruler of common sense. Or the yardstick of fear. Or the tape measure of self-protection.
Other days, faith and Truth prevailed. We planted our mustard seed of faith, watered it with prayer, and watched to see God sprout a miracle. These have been the days when we’ve harvested some of our grandest faith experiences.
The anonymous donor who paid my husband’s way through college when he obeyed God’s call to go back.
The accounting decision that erased our hospital bill when the Lord told us we should have another baby.
The kind friend who gave us a computer when ours died and we refused to go into debt to buy another.
The generous church family who donated money when my husband lost his job and we trusted God to provide.
And, most recently, the generous family who obeyed the Lord’s prompting to give us a financial gift—the day we received the news that our home needed thousands of dollars of repairs after South Carolina’s historic 1,000-year flood.
We are living proof that when a Christian obeys God, he will provide for them. “Exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20).
If God is calling you to obey him, and you can’t make the numbers add up, let me encourage you to step out in faith. Not presumption, mind you, but faith.
Is God calling you to quit your job and stay home with your children?
Is God calling you to serve in a ministry that’s way outside your comfort zone?
Is God calling you to surrender to the mission field?
Is God calling you to do what’s right at work, even though it may cost you?
Is God calling you to right a wrong, at great personal expense?
Pray hard, seek wise counsel, search God’s Word for direction, and count the cost. In the end, if you’re reasonably certain the Lord is calling you to take a step of faith, even when it doesn’t make sense, do it. By doing so, you’ll plant the mustard seeds that will sprout a great faith harvest.
What about you? What do you sense the Lord is calling you to do that requires a faith step? Or when have you obeyed the Lord and took a faith step that didn’t make sense? What happened? I’d love to hear your story, and I’d love to pray for you. Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
And if you don’t reap, you don’t eat. Your family, your community, even your nation depends on you to grow a crop that will feed them for an entire year. And God says, “Don’t plant.”
Not, “Don’t plant some of your fields,” or “Don’t plant some of your crops,” but “Don’t plant anything at all.”
How would you feel? What would you say to God?
“Don’t plant a crop, Lord? Are you CRAZY? How am I going to feed my family?”
“Just for a year,” the Lord says. “The land needs a rest, and you do, too
“A YEAR? If I don’t plant for a year, then it will be TWO years before we harvest again. You know it takes an entire season to grow a crop.”
“Do it anyway,” the Lord says. “Trust me.”
Every 50 years, the Lord called the Israelites to a celebratory year of Jubilee. We read about it in Leviticus 25. Among other things, he called for a Sabbath rest for the land. No sowing. No reaping. No farming of any kind.
Observing this year of Jubilee required the Israelites to believe that God could and would provide for them. Totally and completely. For three years, not just the required one.
He anticipated their question: “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” (v. 20).
Listen to his response: “Then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.”
Do you hear what God is saying? “Trust me. Obey me. I will take care of you. Because you are faithful and obedient, I’m going to bless you so much that when the time of empty fields comes, you’ll have enough to see you through.”
Jesus shared the New Testament parallel to this Scripture: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (everything you truly need) will be given to you” (Mat. 6:33).
Matthew 6:33 has been the plumb line for every major decision my husband and I have made in our 30 years of marriage. Unfortunately, while we’ve always owned this plumb line, we haven’t always pulled it out of our spiritual toolbox. Some days, we measured our decision with the ruler of common sense. Or the yardstick of fear. Or the tape measure of self-protection.
Other days, faith and Truth prevailed. We planted our mustard seed of faith, watered it with prayer, and watched to see God sprout a miracle. These have been the days when we’ve harvested some of our grandest faith experiences.
The anonymous donor who paid my husband’s way through college when he obeyed God’s call to go back.
The accounting decision that erased our hospital bill when the Lord told us we should have another baby.
The kind friend who gave us a computer when ours died and we refused to go into debt to buy another.
The generous church family who donated money when my husband lost his job and we trusted God to provide.
And, most recently, the generous family who obeyed the Lord’s prompting to give us a financial gift—the day we received the news that our home needed thousands of dollars of repairs after South Carolina’s historic 1,000-year flood.
We are living proof that when a Christian obeys God, he will provide for them. “Exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20).
If God is calling you to obey him, and you can’t make the numbers add up, let me encourage you to step out in faith. Not presumption, mind you, but faith.
Is God calling you to quit your job and stay home with your children?
Is God calling you to serve in a ministry that’s way outside your comfort zone?
Is God calling you to surrender to the mission field?
Is God calling you to do what’s right at work, even though it may cost you?
Is God calling you to right a wrong, at great personal expense?
Pray hard, seek wise counsel, search God’s Word for direction, and count the cost. In the end, if you’re reasonably certain the Lord is calling you to take a step of faith, even when it doesn’t make sense, do it. By doing so, you’ll plant the mustard seeds that will sprout a great faith harvest.
What about you? What do you sense the Lord is calling you to do that requires a faith step? Or when have you obeyed the Lord and took a faith step that didn’t make sense? What happened? I’d love to hear your story, and I’d love to pray for you. Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
Monday
Faith, an Anonymous Donor, and What God Did
My husband always regretted not finishing college.
But his scholarship had run out, he was struggling academically, and we were in love. I mean in luuuuuv. When his pastor told him he didn’t need a degree to be a minister, he took it as God’s direction and quit school.
He found a job, we got married, and by the time our daughters came along, finishing school was the last thing on his mind. Contrary to his pastor’s advice, however, the lack of a degree dogged his steps for 20 years. Churches were more than happy to let him teach a Sunday school class, lead an AWANA program, or preach occasionally, but they always hired ministers with a degree for their permanent positions.
Twenty years into our marriage, my husband raised the subject of going back to school. “I’ve always regretted not finishing,” he said, “and it’s continued to hinder me.” His alma mater, Liberty University, had just opened its online degree program. He could take classes remotely and continue to work full time—a must, because I was a stay-at-home mom.
And then his courage faltered. “If I take one class at a time,” he said, “it will take me FIVE YEARS to finish. Do you know how OLD I’ll be in five years if I go back to school?”
“Do you know how old you’ll be in five years if you DON”T go back to school?” I responded, and he was convinced.
Except for one problem—we didn’t have money for him to go back to school. Every month we had just enough to pay the bills, buy groceries, and tuck a little away for an emergency. Each class cost $500, plus books—a small fortune to us.
But David felt led to step out in faith, fairly certain God was calling him back. “We’ll take money out of savings to pay for the first class, and if God is really calling me, he’ll provide the rest.”
Unbeknownst to him, I’d been squirreling away coupon money, rebate checks, and birthday cash for several years. When I counted the money in my stash, I was delighted to find I’d accumulated $500. I immediately called our church office.
“I’d like to give some money to help my husband pay for his first class, as an encouragement,” I told the financial secretary, “but I don’t want him to know it’s from me.” She assured me I could bring the money by, and they’d mail him a check from an “anonymous donor.”
I smiled all the way to the church. Two days later, he received the envelope. An anonymous donor has given $500 to help you with school expenses, the letter read. May God bless your studies.
I’ve never seen my husband laugh and cry at the same time, but I saw it that day. We sent off the check, and he went to work on his first class.
I wonder what we’re going to do when it’s time to register for the next class? I thought. There’s no more money in my stash, and registration will be here before we know it.
“The Lord will provide,” my husband said when I raised the question. “If he’s called me to go back, he’ll send the money.” He was convinced. I wasn’t so sure.
Two days later, he received a letter in the mail from the college. Dear Mr. Hatcher, it read. We are crediting your account $500. An anonymous donor has paid for your class.
“There must be a mistake,” he said and called the finance office. “Why are you refunding my money?”
“Because an anonymous donor has paid for your class,” the secretary replied.
“I know an anonymous donor paid for my class,” he said. “I got the check in the mail, and that’s how I paid my tuition.”
“Well sir, I don’t know anything about the check you got in the mail. All I know is that an anonymous donor sent us money to pay for your first class, so we’re refunding your money.”
“You mean I have TWO anonymous donors?” he said, turning to me with disbelieving eyes. I was more shocked than he was, and I knew it was time to come clean.
“David,” I said, my words tumbling out, “The first $500 came from me. I sent it to the church and asked them to send it to you. I wanted to encourage you. It was money I’d saved for something special.” Then I paused. “But I don’t know anything about this other anonymous donor. I think it REALLY WAS the Lord.”
This time we laughed and cried together.
Later, alone in my bedroom, I confessed my disbelief to the Lord. Lord, I’m so sorry. I doubted you could provide for David to go back to school. I was afraid he’d be disappointed and discouraged and want to quit. When I gave that money, I wasn’t trusting you. I was trusting myself. Please forgive me. And thank you for teaching me what my husband already knows, that when you call, you also provide.
Although David had been a struggling student the first time around, 20 years of growth, maturity, and common sense made him dedicated and hard-working the second time through. Reminiscent of a kindergartner showing off his first report card, David grinned from ear to ear when he showed me his grade—a beautiful B.
And then it was time to register again. He selected his class, using the credit on his account to pay the tuition.
A week later the school sent him a check for $500.
Wondering if his past academic struggles had come home to roost, and he’d been put on academic probation, he called the school office. “Why was my tuition refunded?”
“Because you have a credit balance,” the secretary replied. “An anonymous donor paid your tuition.”
“I know an anonymous donor paid my tuition,” he said, “but that was last semester. I registered for another class this semester.”
“I don’t know anything about last semester,” the secretary said. “All I know is that an anonymous donor has paid for this class.”
“And to keep us from having this conversation again next semester,” she said, “you need to know—this same donor has authorized us to bill him or her for every class you take until you graduate.”
We laughed and cried again, marveling at how God had worked in response to my husband’s faith.
Every semester my husband registered for a new class, and every semester his anonymous donor paid the bill. This unknown person donated over $17,000 in tuition money over the course of five years.
“Did you ever find out who sent the money?” people sometimes ask him when we tell this story.
“Oh, I know who sent the money,” he says. “The Lord.”
David and I learned several lessons from this adventure. First, we learned that sometimes we have to step into the water for God to part it. Second, we learned that God can take seed money, watered by faith, and grow a miracle. Third, (I know you saw this coming), we learned that when God calls us to do something, he will provide what we need to accomplish it.
In December of 2008, my husband received his Bachelor of Science in Religion degree from Liberty University. And yes, he was five years older than when he started.
Thirty-one years ago today, David and I were married. Happy anniversary, Hubby. I love you more than ever!
But his scholarship had run out, he was struggling academically, and we were in love. I mean in luuuuuv. When his pastor told him he didn’t need a degree to be a minister, he took it as God’s direction and quit school.
He found a job, we got married, and by the time our daughters came along, finishing school was the last thing on his mind. Contrary to his pastor’s advice, however, the lack of a degree dogged his steps for 20 years. Churches were more than happy to let him teach a Sunday school class, lead an AWANA program, or preach occasionally, but they always hired ministers with a degree for their permanent positions.
Twenty years into our marriage, my husband raised the subject of going back to school. “I’ve always regretted not finishing,” he said, “and it’s continued to hinder me.” His alma mater, Liberty University, had just opened its online degree program. He could take classes remotely and continue to work full time—a must, because I was a stay-at-home mom.
And then his courage faltered. “If I take one class at a time,” he said, “it will take me FIVE YEARS to finish. Do you know how OLD I’ll be in five years if I go back to school?”
“Do you know how old you’ll be in five years if you DON”T go back to school?” I responded, and he was convinced.
Except for one problem—we didn’t have money for him to go back to school. Every month we had just enough to pay the bills, buy groceries, and tuck a little away for an emergency. Each class cost $500, plus books—a small fortune to us.
But David felt led to step out in faith, fairly certain God was calling him back. “We’ll take money out of savings to pay for the first class, and if God is really calling me, he’ll provide the rest.”
Unbeknownst to him, I’d been squirreling away coupon money, rebate checks, and birthday cash for several years. When I counted the money in my stash, I was delighted to find I’d accumulated $500. I immediately called our church office.
“I’d like to give some money to help my husband pay for his first class, as an encouragement,” I told the financial secretary, “but I don’t want him to know it’s from me.” She assured me I could bring the money by, and they’d mail him a check from an “anonymous donor.”
I smiled all the way to the church. Two days later, he received the envelope. An anonymous donor has given $500 to help you with school expenses, the letter read. May God bless your studies.
I’ve never seen my husband laugh and cry at the same time, but I saw it that day. We sent off the check, and he went to work on his first class.
I wonder what we’re going to do when it’s time to register for the next class? I thought. There’s no more money in my stash, and registration will be here before we know it.
“The Lord will provide,” my husband said when I raised the question. “If he’s called me to go back, he’ll send the money.” He was convinced. I wasn’t so sure.
Two days later, he received a letter in the mail from the college. Dear Mr. Hatcher, it read. We are crediting your account $500. An anonymous donor has paid for your class.
“There must be a mistake,” he said and called the finance office. “Why are you refunding my money?”
“Because an anonymous donor has paid for your class,” the secretary replied.
“I know an anonymous donor paid for my class,” he said. “I got the check in the mail, and that’s how I paid my tuition.”
“Well sir, I don’t know anything about the check you got in the mail. All I know is that an anonymous donor sent us money to pay for your first class, so we’re refunding your money.”
“You mean I have TWO anonymous donors?” he said, turning to me with disbelieving eyes. I was more shocked than he was, and I knew it was time to come clean.
“David,” I said, my words tumbling out, “The first $500 came from me. I sent it to the church and asked them to send it to you. I wanted to encourage you. It was money I’d saved for something special.” Then I paused. “But I don’t know anything about this other anonymous donor. I think it REALLY WAS the Lord.”
This time we laughed and cried together.
Later, alone in my bedroom, I confessed my disbelief to the Lord. Lord, I’m so sorry. I doubted you could provide for David to go back to school. I was afraid he’d be disappointed and discouraged and want to quit. When I gave that money, I wasn’t trusting you. I was trusting myself. Please forgive me. And thank you for teaching me what my husband already knows, that when you call, you also provide.
Although David had been a struggling student the first time around, 20 years of growth, maturity, and common sense made him dedicated and hard-working the second time through. Reminiscent of a kindergartner showing off his first report card, David grinned from ear to ear when he showed me his grade—a beautiful B.
And then it was time to register again. He selected his class, using the credit on his account to pay the tuition.
A week later the school sent him a check for $500.
Wondering if his past academic struggles had come home to roost, and he’d been put on academic probation, he called the school office. “Why was my tuition refunded?”
“Because you have a credit balance,” the secretary replied. “An anonymous donor paid your tuition.”
“I know an anonymous donor paid my tuition,” he said, “but that was last semester. I registered for another class this semester.”
“I don’t know anything about last semester,” the secretary said. “All I know is that an anonymous donor has paid for this class.”
“And to keep us from having this conversation again next semester,” she said, “you need to know—this same donor has authorized us to bill him or her for every class you take until you graduate.”
We laughed and cried again, marveling at how God had worked in response to my husband’s faith.
Every semester my husband registered for a new class, and every semester his anonymous donor paid the bill. This unknown person donated over $17,000 in tuition money over the course of five years.
“Did you ever find out who sent the money?” people sometimes ask him when we tell this story.
“Oh, I know who sent the money,” he says. “The Lord.”
David and I learned several lessons from this adventure. First, we learned that sometimes we have to step into the water for God to part it. Second, we learned that God can take seed money, watered by faith, and grow a miracle. Third, (I know you saw this coming), we learned that when God calls us to do something, he will provide what we need to accomplish it.
In December of 2008, my husband received his Bachelor of Science in Religion degree from Liberty University. And yes, he was five years older than when he started.
Thirty-one years ago today, David and I were married. Happy anniversary, Hubby. I love you more than ever!
Do You Have a Faith Your Children Want to Imitate?
"I want you to kill your child."
If anyone said they heard a voice tell them to do this, we'd trot them down to the local psychiatric hospital and place their children in protective custody. Rightly so.
Today I read about Abraham, one of the patriarchs of the Christian (and Jewish) faith. As I read the account of how God, in a test of Abraham's faith, called him to sacrifice his beloved son as an offering on Mt. Moriah, God showed me an aspect of this story that I have never seen before.
This is the text from Genesis 22:9-10. "When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood."
By this point, although they had traveled with servants, Abraham and Isaac were alone. They had left the servants and traveled the rest of the way to the summit by themselves. The chronology isn't precise, but we can estimate that Isaac was at least 13, perhaps older than that, because he was able to carry enough wood for a burnt offering on his back up the mountain.
This would make Abraham somewhere between 113 and 116 or so, and although he was strong enough to walk up a mountain, he was nowhere near as strong as his 13 to 16 year old strapping young son.
At some point Abraham had to reveal to Isaac what God had instructed him to do. The truth might have already been dawning on Isaac, because the text shows Isaac's train of thought. He had watched his father sacrifice many times. He knew what was required.
Wood?
Check.
Fire?
Check.
Sacrifice?
Um. . . . .
"Dad? We have the wood. We have the fire. Where's the sacrifice?"
"God will provide a sacrfice."
The text says that Abraham bound Isaac and laid him on the altar.
Would your teenager let you tie him up and place him on an altar?
I believe Isaac voluntarily submitted. We know that Abraham, at the age of 116, certainly couldn't have wrestled him down and hog tied him. Do you know how strong 16 year old young men are? Do you know how strong 116 year old men aren't?
If your teenager had been Isaac, would he have let you tie him up and place him on an altar?
He would if he trusted you.
Better yet, he would if he trusted you and the God you followed.
And this, I believe, is one of the most important aspects of this great faith story. The Bible says that "Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." Abraham's faith was strong enough to believe, as he told his servants, "We will worship and then we will come back to you"
"We will come back to you."
Isaac had lived with his father for 16 years. He had heard the stories of how God had called him out of Ur of the Chaldees to leave his home for a place he did not know. He heard stories of how God had shown him the stars of the sky and promised descendants when he had no children. He heard stories of how God had used Abraham to rescue Lot, how God blessed him and gave him the Son of Laughter in his old age. And he heard the stories of how God had promised to make a great nation of him, Isaac.
He had watched his father's faith walk. He had heard his father's faith stories. He had listened to his father pray in the night.
And he, Isaac, believed.
He believed to the point of action. He believed in his father and his father's God enough to stand still while his father bound him with ropes, laid him on an altar, and raised a knife to slay him.
As a Christian parent today, is your faith worth imitating?
Is your faith contagious? Is it radical enough that your children stand up and take notice? Is it genuine enough that they want it for themselves? Is it worth imitating?
Oh, God, that we might have a faith so rich and full and genuine that our children will want it for themselves, that they will want it more than life itself.
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You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Do You Believe in Fairies?
One of the most poignant scenes in the movie is when Tinkerbell the fairy, remorseful over her jealous act against Wendy, flies straight into the heat of the battle between Peter and Captain Hook. She is injured in the fray, and lies near death, her little fairy glow growing dimmer and dimmer.
Peter rallies the children all over the word to chant, "I DO believe in fairies. I DO. I DO believe in fairies. I DO! I DO!" The collective force of their belief infuses life into little Tinkerbell, and she rises from near death to live again.
Some in our world equate the Christian faith with believing in fairies. They believe it to be a warm fuzzy hope with little basis.
I beg to differ.
The fifth chapter of Mark gives us an example of the power of true faith. Jairus is a religious man. One of the rulers of the synagogue, he was part of the establishment that was opposing Jesus. But his young daughter lay near death, and he was desperately seeking Jesus' help. Falling at Jesus' feet, he begged him earnestly, "Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."
The Master responded immediately, but on the way to Jairus' home, servants brought word that the child had died. "Your daughter is dead," his servants reported, "Why trouble the Teacher any further?"
"As soon as Jesus heard the words that were spoken, he said, 'Do not be afraid; only believe.'" We know the glorious end of this story -- that Jesus entered the home, took the child by the hand, spoke her name, and raised her from the dead.
Unlike believing in the fairies of Peter Pan's Neverland, though, the faith that Jairus exercised was vastly different. Instead of hoping in something that had no basis, Jairus placed his faith in God Himself.
Unike Jairus, who had a limited understanding of Christ, we have the whole canon of scripture and the proof of history on which to base our faith.
The resurrection of Christ, which is the validation of His claim to be God in the flesh, is one of the most historically attested facts of our age.The authenticity of the Bible cannot be disproved, and has been affirmed over and over by discoveries of science and archaeology. Whenever there is a "new" discovery that skeptics believe will discount scripture, it instead serves to confirm the biblical account. Josh McDowell's books Evidence that Demands a Verdict and More than a Carpenter and Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ catalog many of the indisputable proofs of the truth of Christ.
Jairus based his faith not on warm fuzzy sentiment, but on cold hard facts. Jesus Christ had the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, and save souls. We know that Jairus' faith was rewarded. He received his child back from the dead.
Unlike believing in fairies, we pray to the same God Who raised Jairus' daughter. Like the account of long ago, Jesus hears our prayers, cares about our struggles, and wants to work in our lives. Most importantly, he has the power to glorify himself in your situation. If you're struggling in your faith walk today, allow the words of Jesus to speak to your heart.
"Do not be afraid; only believe."
Do You Smell Good to God?
We've all been assaulted by them at one time or another. They are usually, but not always, big-haired older ladies with lots of rings. You smell them before you see them. They are so drenched in perfume that you know they didn't just DAB it, they DOUSED it. And gargled with it, just for good measure. I am always amazed that anyone can think their chosen scent actually smells good, but obviously some company developed it, marketed it, and sold it to the person in question who is approaching you.
The worse scenario of all is rushing into church late and plopping down next to them before your nose has a chance to catch up to the rest of your body. As you slide into the pew, a scent overload hits your nostrils, your eyes begin to water, and simultaneously you begin to taste whatever Chanel Number Phew smells like. Before long you can't breathe, and you begin to get woozy from the act of holding your breathe. People around you stare because you are making strange gagging noises.
The book of Revelation reminds us that just like the big-haired heavily perfumed lady of my nightmare, we too have a scent. This scent is not apparent to those around us, but only to God. Revelation 8:3-4 says that our scent wafts up to God's throne in Heaven, and He smells it.
"Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. (Rev 8:3-4)
The sweet smell of me that wafts up into God's throne room comes from the prayers of the saints, of which I am one. Just like the lady who bathes in her perfume, I can choose to bathe myself in prayer before the Lord, and send up a sweet smell into God's nostrils. What a delightful opportunity to make God smile.
Will you join me in sending up a sweet savor to the Lord as we lay our requests before Him in humbleness and faith?
God bless you as we walk the faith walk together!
This post also appears on Bible Love Notes Bless a Blogger Friday's page
http://biblelovenotes.blogspot.com/p/friday-blog-hop.html
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