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Father Abraham - had many sons. Many sons had Father Abraham...

(A repost from 2007)

Abraham.

So, I'm suppose to have his faith because, well, we all know that Jesus had faith, duh. So, when he was talking about faith in the Bible, he couldn't really use himself as an example. So, he used Abraham, for one.

Have you seen those cholesterol commercials where people walk around wearing signs with their cholesterol level? Well, that's how names were in biblical days. Adam means "man." The every popularized Jabez, for example, meant sorrowful things for poor ol' J. (Too bad he's not around to benefit from the profits his name has created today!) Abraham walked around as "father of many."

Shame. Embarrassment. If I were Abe, I'd feel horrible every time someone asked my name.

"Thank you for dining at Red Lobster, sir. Your name, please?"
"Father of many."
"Great! And how many will be at your table tonight?"
"Just me and Sarah."
"'Left the kids with a sitter?"
"Um, no. No children" (head down, embarrassed)

Let's liken it to my painting skills. I have none. I can't paint a picture to save my life. It would be like a museum hearing that I was a great artist & asking to display my art. Then, me giving them my best work, which consisted of connect-the-dot and paint-by-number pieces.

God promised Abraham many children. Abe didn't know when where or how & was sick of waiting. He was sick of being embarrassed, ashamed of the "lie" his name was telling.

Let's skip many parts of the story & fast forward to Issac - the promised son.

So, after years of mental torment (as I see it anyway), Issac was born.

"Why, here's one of "father of many's" sons right now! Hey, Issac!"

I'm sure Abraham loved Issac. He redeemed him to the world. No longer was his name a lie. Issac proved Abraham's faith - like the rain proved Noah's - to the world. Oh, what a precious relationship Issac must have had with his dad.

"Oh, Lord," Abraham must have prayed, "thank you for Issac! He's just perfect. I love him so much. Look at his hair and eyes! He looks just like me. Oh, and Lord, he loves being with me. We have fun together, and... what? What's that, Lord? You want me to sacrifice him?"

Did Abraham cry? Did he doubt God? Did he go to Sarah and ask for advice? Did he pace the floors wondering if he'd missed God? Did he wonder if God was punishing him for something?

No. Genesis 22:2 says "God said..." and verse 3 says that Abraham acted on what God said.

So, it's taken me a while to get to this point, but, here's where I want to be.

So many times we hear God. But, what he tells us seems crazy - even may seem to completely contradict what we heard him say before. It makes no sense. We don't understand.

So, we pace the floor. We ask former Sunday school teachers, the pastor, and the church janitor what they would do. We contemplate if we actually heard God. If we were in Genesis 22, there'd be thousands of verses between verse 2 & 3 telling just what we'd did to figure out if God was really speaking.

It seems so difficult for me to think that God wants me to have that kind of faith. I'll be honest, I just don't see how that kind of faith is possible.

God's never let me down.
God has no record of telling me something to do then failing me.
God has never broken a promise to me.
In fact, God has done so many "impossible" things in my life.

Why shouldn't I have that kind of faith? I can't think of a reason.

______
My name means bringer of truth. While God didn't give me this name, he did give me the name Christian - like Christ. Oh, Lord, please help me to live up to that name! Let me never shy away from it or be ashamed! So many promises come with that name. Praise the Lord! Let me have the faith of a mustard seed - even if I'm only starting out with the faith of the tiniest molecule of life! Birth in me a faith that can move mountains and give me the willingness and even the audacity to act upon that faith.

Investments

(A repost from 2007)

 

2 Chronicles 25:
6 [King Amaziah] also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel--not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow." 9 Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?"

But God, why do you want me to work in a prayer ministry when I've invested all this work in the choir ministry?

But God, I've bought this house to fix up for my family. Now you want me to sell it?

But God, I paid good money for these baseball tickets, why would you want me to miss the game?

But God, I put all this time into a children's ministry and now you want me to give it up?

But God said (through his prophet) "The Lord can give you much more than that."

I'm sure Amaziah thought he was doing good in hiring those men to help fight. I mean, what could be wrong in preparation? Sometimes, I really think we can do what seems to be good in our eyes & everyone elses' too. We can invest our money in something that seems so wise. We can invest our time into ministries. What could be wrong with a ministry? We could invest our talents. God gave us the talents. Shouldn't we use them?

To everything there is a season. Sure, using talents for God is wonderful. But, has He given us other talents to use for THIS season? Sure, God wants us to enjoy life and, for example, purchase those baseball tickets we've been saving for. But, would he rather us use that money for something else now?

Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

Praise the Lord that His ways aren't my ways! I don't know what's best for me! This is why I should consult him...

...even when I think I know what's best
...even when things make sense
...even when it's something "godly"
...even when it seems wise to me
...even when I've already spent my time & effort & money & talents
...even when I think I know what He would say

Because when I consult Him and really listen (as His word tells me to do SO many times), I find out what He wants me to invest my ______ (time, money, talent, etc.) in. And, just has he promised Amaziah, he can give me a much better return on that investment!

Our Help

Psalm 121

A Song of Ascents.

 ¹ I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
         From whence comes my help?

Medication?
Family?
Friends?
A bottle?
A support group?
Therapy?
Yoga?
A diet?
A self-help book?
Church?

 ² My help comes from the LORD,
         Who made heaven and earth

Sneaker-Tying Christians

Verse:  Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. 1 Kings 19:18, KJV

(Elijah has just told God that he knows of no one left in Israel who still worships Him.  This is God's response.)



Do you remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the three friends in Daniel 3 who refused to bow down to any so-called-gods?  They were 100% devoted to God (who, at the time, hadn't died for their sins or blessed them beyond measure or walked in the fire with them before). 

Picture it: King Nebuchadnezzar had just made an image of gold and commanded everyone to bow to worship it once the instruments were played.  People everywhere are gathered around, crowding the public areas.  Right in the middle are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  Let's watch...

Cymbals crash, flutes play, trumpets blast.  The Nebuchadnezzar faithful bow in obedient worship.  Not the three friends.  They unabashedly, proudly stand tall.  Whispering arises.  Townspeople begin to point.  Surely the three misunderstood.  The King himself gathers Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego unto him.  "Don't you know?  When the music starts you must bow down!  If you don't, I'll throw you in a pit of fire!"  I'll save the end of the story for another time, but just know that the boys didn't bow and God saved them.

Let's pause here and bring this to modern day: 

Jill Christian (could be you, could be me) is standing in this group.  The pressure is mounting to bow and the trumpets will sound any moment.  Jill thinks...

Wait!  There they are!  I hear them! 

I believe in God.  I am a Christian!  I can't bow! 

But, the fire is hot. 

Oh, wait.  Is my shoe untied? 

I'd better bow down, er, I mean bend over and tie that...

The music stops.  Everyone stands back, waiting for the next blast of the horns, which happens...right...now:

No!  Not again!  Everyone is bowing except me!

The fire - I'll be thrown in!

Wait a second... did I double knot that? 

I'd better retie that shoe to make certain.

Let me bow down, er, I mean bend over and tie that...

Wow.  This hits home for me.  How many times have I tried to blend in just so I wouldn't stand out?  Is that what God's called me to do?  Proverbs tells us many times that our ways may seem pure to us, to others - but God knows our heart. 

Lord, let me never be a sneaker-tying Christian.  Forgive me for trying to blend in.  You've called me to be a peculiar person.  You've set me apart, sanctified me as I prayed you would.  Please do so again.  Let me stand, boldly, for you.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Pocket Change

One of my fondest childhood memories is taking walks with my daddy.  Whether we walked through Papa's woods or down the gravel alley behind my house, it always seemed adventuresome. 

One of those times, I remember finding a penny among the rocks as I kicked sticks and debris from my path.  Treasure!  Next I found a dime.  Another dime!  A quarter!  Two quarters!  That's when I heard the small clink-clunk sound of my daddy secretly dropping his pocket change one coin at a time for me to find. 

Don't you think that's how God is?  Don't you think He looks down and sees what blesses us then, like tiny pennies on a rocky path, places blessings in our way?  If we could just stop and see those blessings in the midst of whatever road we may trod.

Hay Fields

I live about 5 minutes from town, which is just enough distance between me and city limits for a good country drive.  I regularly see cows feeding, swarming hawks and owls, tractors plowing and sweet morning mist rising from farm ponds.


All through late spring and summer, as long as the rain lasts, fields and fields of tall green hay rise up.  It always interests me.  I'll watch it begin to grow, each day gaining height.  Then, one bright day I'll see a dusty green tractor start the all-day processing of baling the hay.  When five o'clock hits and I head back home, the farmer will still be out, cutting and baling the fields.  By next morning, the fields are freshly cut with all the hay in neatly packed bales. 

I thought about that farmer yesterday - how accomplished he must feel when he looks behind him as he drives back to the barns.  He'd never know how accomplished he was, though, if he never looked back.

Sometimes in our Christian life, we are told to never look back, to press forward.  But I think looking back is a good thing.  What awesome testimonies come out of remembering where we were when God picked us up & carried us though a storm.  When our children were hurt and we cried out to a loving Father, who heard us and intervened. 

Oh, God, that we may remember what you have done.  That we may look back, not with heavy hearts but with hearts free and rejoicing, at all the plowed fields of life.  Oh, Lord, that we may worship you daily for this!