Making the Baby

1) Thought for the day: When God called Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, he promised to make him into a great nation and to bless the whole world through him. Of course Abram was a prosperous, middle-aged businessman with a large personal fortune. He and his wife Sarai had no children, and they had no prospects for having children. The promise seemed impossible, and humanly speaking it was. So how do you go about making a great nation? Abram couldn't make a nation. But he and Sarai could make a baby. It would take many years, and more than a few missteps along the way, and even a name change, but eventually God had his way, and Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac from whom came Jacob from whom came the sons who became the heads of the tribes that became the nation of Israel, and almost two thousands years later, Jesus was born, the son of Abraham through whom the whole world has been blessed. Abraham couldn't have foreseen all of that when God gave the promise, and it was a good thing that he didn't. In beginning any great venture, you have to start by "making the baby." The rest is up to God. Sometimes we balk because we can't see how the great thing can be done, but that's not our problem. Just get busy "making the baby."

2) Sylvester Boyd of Military Torch Ministry asks us to write a young sailor from Iowa who is deployed on a carrier for seven months. He left on May 2. Boyd says this young man needs the encouragement of Christians who can write him, send a card, or even a small box of homemade cookies. "He needs to know that he is not as alone as he thinks he is. Can we rock his world with some genuine Christian love and concern?" His address is:

SKSR Kyler G. Ogreen, USN
Supply Division S-6 RPOOL
USS Enterprise, CVN 65
FPO, AE 09543-2810

3) Bike riding: 707 miles YTD.

You can reach the author at  ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.