"Have Faith, Dan West!"

Most people probably aren't familiar with this all-time Brethren favorite children's story about Dan West, who founded Heifer International. When he dreamt up the idea, he was wondering, "How will this ever come into being?" A farmer offered, "Have Faith!" Dan said, "Well, I do have faith, but I need a cow." To this, the farmer replied, "No, have Faith... my cow." With Dan's faith and the other farmer's faith that moved him to give Faith, they created an organization that has worked to help stop hunger throughout the world.

I don't know what they expected. You read these types of stories to kids with these kinds of heroes. No wonder I was "ruined for life" by BVS. :o)

Faithful Love
Hosea 5:1-7:2

"The Lord says, 'Israel, what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? Your faithfulness is like a morning mist, like the dew that goes away early in the day. I have warned you by my prophets that I will kill you and destroy you. My justice comes out like bright light. I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices." (Hosea 5:4-5)

The question can be asked- if your faith is like a morning mist, is it faith at all? I can hear the sadness and pain in God's voice. Has someone ever been unfaithful to you, to your friendship, to your secret. It's really painful. And if someone is unfaithful and then gives you a gift, what does that gift mean? It certainly doesn't mean what it might have. While our society tries to cover it up with flashy gifts and materialism, still the most meaningful gifts are those that come without a price tag. And God deserves all of the faithful love we can give to Him... and so much more! Lord, "great is thy faithfulness!" May I learn to always been faithful in my love for You.

Faithful Worship
Psalm 139:1-6

"Lord, you have examined me and you know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Lord, even before I say a word, you already know it. You are all around me- in front and in back- and have put your hand on me. Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand." (Psalm 139:1-6)

And worthy, God is so worthy of all the worship we could ever offer Him. The Lord is just amazing... each day I amazed with new wonders about the world... the complexity of the human mind, the glorious creation of this world. This morning I took the time to praise the Lord for one such amazing gift as I sang "His Eye is on the Sparrow" to my church family. Similar to the theme in this psalm, if God's eye is on the sparrow (that tiny little bird), God's eye is also on us- all our "goings and comings."

Faithful Victory
1 John 5:1-21

"Loving God means obeying his commands. And God's commands are not too hard for us, because everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world- our faith. So the one who conquers the world is the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:3-5)

Just like Dan West, when confronted with problems in the world, we can win. We can conquer it. We can make a difference, but not on our own. Our power to defeat the powers of the world comes from faith... and sometimes from Faith. Lord, I believe... thank you for the beauty of your salvation and the power that comes from having faith in You.