Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Joshua 1:9
As the captain of the ship went back inside, the man knew exactly what he had to do. He watched the huge fish strapped to the back of the boat hidden from view. This was his chance to save his orphanage; this was his chance to secure a place for his boys so that they would never have to go back to their lives of hurt and pain. He could see no other way. To win some money in that fishing competition they had to take this marlin, sold to the captain the day before, and lie and tell the judges that they had caught it themselves. The boys would never know, his wife would never know... He pulled his hand out of his pocket and saw a tiny dot of blood. What had pricked him? It was the nail he had given one of the young boys. He had told him that once he wrote his prayer down on a piece of paper and nailed it to the wall with this nail, God would answer his prayer. Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do...
I recently watched the above movie entitled, “Blue Miracle.” It was based on the true story about an orphanage called, “Casa Hogar” in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The man and his wife who ran it, tried their best to help young boys who had lived tough and painful lives by providing a safe and loving place for them to call home. Unfortunately, things were tough and soon they were so much in debt with the bank that closing the orphanage seemed the only option. But, thanks to a prayer, written by one of his young boys and nailed to a wall, they were offered the opportunity to enter a three-day fishing competition and if they won would receive money to help with their debt. However, on the third day, and with no hope of winning, cheating became a viable option. But, once again, thanks to that nail and its reminder to him of what it represented, that option was thrown out and God came through for them. Not only did they win, but instead of dividing the prize money between themselves and the captain, the latter decided to give his portion to save the orphanage. Their debt was covered and there was extra! This story truly caught my attention, because it was a story of faith and trust in God in the most dire of circumstances; about doing the right thing, doing things God’s way in the midst of tough situations. When the man made the choice to go God’s way, God honored him by helping them to catch a fish with which they were able to win the competition. But what was the miracle? On the first day, they almost caught a marlin but it got away. Superstition dictated that there was no way another such opportunity would come their way again ... hence the need to cheat. God allowed the temptation to come and the man had to make the choice. What I like about God is that He helps us especially in the face of temptation. He didn’t remove the temptation but provided something that he knew would catch the man’s attention and help turn him on the right path. That’s the kind of thing God does for us. He knows our hearts; He knows our desire to do right and that sometimes it’s just downright difficult. So, He sends help. It’s usually up to us though to respond to the help He sends or to ignore it. When the man made the choice not to cheat, he was sure he had lost the orphanage but he accepted it and tried to encourage his boys to be strong and accept it as well. They were heartbroken but doing this competition God’s way was more important. God did not let them down and He honored this sacrificial act. I think of Joseph faced with the opportunity to sleep with his master’s wife. His master may never have found out and he could have gotten away with it. But he chose to honor his God instead and do the right thing (Genesis 39:7-9). Years later, because he consistently chose to live a life of honor before God and man, God in turn honored him by promoting him to a position second to that of Pharaoh. Even David time and again was faced with the temptation to handle situations the wrong way. He was being chased by his master, King Saul, but even when he had the opportunity to kill him he chose not to do it (1 Samuel 24:10). When faced with the unkind, harsh treatment of a rich man, Nabal, he was tempted to kill him and all the men of his household. Fortunately, he listened to the advice of Nabal’s wife who reminded him that God had a good future for him. God in turn killed Nabal (1Samuel 25:2-39). David did not have to lift a finger to remove his enemy. Years later, God placed David on the throne as king of Israel. That’s the kind of God we serve. I remember once being faced with the temptation to respond unkindly in the face of what I felt was unfair treatment. In the opinion of some I’m sure, or even many, I would have been justified. But I felt God speak to me very clearly telling me not to sabotage anyone. It was not easy doing the right thing but I did it with God’s help and He built my character in the process. In turn, I watched God handle my situation better than I could have done myself. God doesn’t need our help to handle impossible situations but we need His. The choice to live life God’s way will always be fraught with challenges and temptation. But once we choose to honor God by the choices we make He will come through for us and He will do even greater things than we could have ever imagined. Do you want to live a life of honor, a life even you can be proud of? I invite you to ask Jesus Christ to come into your life now. Allow Him to give you the strength for every challenge, every temptation that will come your way. You can’t stop it, but you can lean on the God who will give you the strength to walk away...
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October 2024
AuthorThis blog provides inspirational nuggets inspired by the Word of God and serves to encourage and motivate Christians in their Christian walk. |