Today’s passage is Hebrews 11:13-29. Apollo continues with the list of biblical events beginning with “By faith”. Abraham offers up Isaac, Jacob blesses Joseph’s son, Joseph wants his bones taken to Canaan, Moses chose to be a Hebrew and lead his people across the Red Sea.

What precious thing have you offered to God?

Have you left your Egypt?

Abraham’s faith in offering his only son Isaac, trusting God to fulfill his promise of innumerable descendants, leaves me hoping that my faith won’t be tested like that.

What do I value that I know I’m not willing to lay down?

My wife, my health, my church, my children, my work.

I pray I am not brought to a moment of faith-testing over any of these.

The closest I ever came was 11 years ago when I had accepted that I was never going to marry Mallory, the mother of my daughter Tess, or marry anyone ever again in fact.

I had resigned myself to a life of living alone. I remember telling God that, as unhappy as that situation was to me, I accepted it as his will and would trust in his guidance in my life.

It was a very lonely moment.

About a year later, God changed my life.

He introduced me to my wife, took me out of teaching to writing and then to being a principal.

He led me to Wooridle and the long road of faith training, learning to see myself more objectively than I ever did before through teaching me to face my sins.

I offered my loneliness to the Lord and he answered by filling my life with so many others and such missions that my loneliness virtually vanished.

Application: persevere in my path with others, don’t try to avoid anyone

Lord, inspire me with your Spirit to see what I’m holding onto that I need to lay down.