Monday, July 31, 2017
Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham
from heaven. “This is what the Lord says:
Because you have obeyed me and have not
withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will
certainly bless you. I will multiply
your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on
the seashore. Your descendants will
conquer the cities of their enemies. And
through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all
because you have obeyed me.”
Genesis
22:15-18(NLT)
Abraham was
willing to obey God, and because of that simple faith, God promised His
covenant blessings to Abraham’s family would be too great to count. Down through the ages the blessing of God has
preserved the nation of Abraham’s descendants against the most incredible odds
and opposition. This is the ripple effect of faith.
I often
think of this simple fact, that I owe a lot to my parents. They were people of faith; Mom and Dad carried
me to church faithfully, even before I was born. Now that’s true in a physical sense…Mom
carried me everywhere she went when I was in the womb. But, just as Abram carried Isaac to the altar
physically in obedience to God’s direction, my parents carried me to the altar
in their hearts; they faithfully acted on God’s instruction and promise:
Direct
your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they
will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6(NLT)
In my
particular case that verse carries special significance. I believe God pressed that one hard on my
parents’ hearts because God knew faith had to get an early start with someone
as stubborn as Russell. It takes a long
time and a lot of repetition to steer my mind in the right direction!
But the
promise of God is true. I have always
been something of a late-bloomer
who often has to be led (and sometimes pushed like a mule) in order to change. I was introduced to the faith early, and because
of Mom and Dad’s faithful witness of Christ, even now as the edge of old age
creeps up on me, the ripples of faith that began God’s good work in my heart
and soul, are still feeding those roots which were firmly planted in God’s soil
so long ago.
For You Today
What
did it take to bring you into the path of faith’s ripples?
And
do you celebrate it quietly, just between you and God?
Or
do you take time to thank those who had a part in leading you to the altar?
NOTES
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