Monday, July 31, 2017

The Ripple Effect of Faith

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?
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!
NOTES

[i] Title Image: Pixabay.com

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