FATHER OF MANY
Yesterday I attended a funeral for a friend. Although I did not know Mike personally, knowing him through relationships with his family, he was a friend in my heart. His funeral was a most wonderful spiritual experience; a life that leaps out and grabs your attention and says, “This life is the embodiment of God’s Word.” The hope and demand of his life’s testimony filled my life with God’s intimacy. The flowers were situated so that, from my vantage point, I could not see the speakers, forcing me to focus on the sounds of their testimonies. Instead, I focused on a large framed photograph of Mike, resting on an easel. He was pictured in sunglasses, wearing a t-shirt featuring an American flag. He was standing on a hill overlooking a Cuban village, his face representing perfect content. He stood there staring right into my eyes. I spent the service looking at Mike while listening to the testimonies about his life. He became a best friend by the end of the service.
Mike’s death was something of a tragedy, but his life is a living legacy of Christ’s offer of an abundant life. Mike suffered back problems and following back surgery developed an infection that over time resulted in his death. I wondered about his back injury in relationship to the words about his devotion to missions work. Most of his adult life he led regular mission trips to Latin American, and specifically to Cuba for the last twelve years. How Christ like that a man who strained his body over and over again performing construction projects may have found his pathway into our Heavenly Father’s embrace through this service that filled his life with joy and meaning.
The Word of God was planted in Abrams heart for the benefit of family. Along The Way God revealed that the benefit of a believer's life is not only for immediate family, but all humanity. God extended Abram’s name, which meant exalted father, to Abraham, which means father of many nations. Mike’s life was a testimony of the power of that promise. One speaker listed all the people who are waiting in line to thank Mike for their salvation, so many he could only speculate the majority of them without knowing their names. Mike was an Abraham.
As I reflect this morning and search an active place to store Mike’s life in my soul, I am exhilarated by the challenge that ordinary lives can be the fertile ground for the miraculous. Thank you Mike and for those who spoke God’s Word into my life through their participation in your life’s celebration.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. Genesis 17: 1-5
Mike’s death was something of a tragedy, but his life is a living legacy of Christ’s offer of an abundant life. Mike suffered back problems and following back surgery developed an infection that over time resulted in his death. I wondered about his back injury in relationship to the words about his devotion to missions work. Most of his adult life he led regular mission trips to Latin American, and specifically to Cuba for the last twelve years. How Christ like that a man who strained his body over and over again performing construction projects may have found his pathway into our Heavenly Father’s embrace through this service that filled his life with joy and meaning.
The Word of God was planted in Abrams heart for the benefit of family. Along The Way God revealed that the benefit of a believer's life is not only for immediate family, but all humanity. God extended Abram’s name, which meant exalted father, to Abraham, which means father of many nations. Mike’s life was a testimony of the power of that promise. One speaker listed all the people who are waiting in line to thank Mike for their salvation, so many he could only speculate the majority of them without knowing their names. Mike was an Abraham.
As I reflect this morning and search an active place to store Mike’s life in my soul, I am exhilarated by the challenge that ordinary lives can be the fertile ground for the miraculous. Thank you Mike and for those who spoke God’s Word into my life through their participation in your life’s celebration.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. Genesis 17: 1-5
Comments
Post a Comment