Not even a penny.

Yesterday was Baby Samuel's celebration service. The service was beautifully structured around giving glory to God for all that He's done through Samuel's life. As I sat there...I couldn't help but think about Hosea.

I've been reading Hosea again for my quiet times, and my goodness, he was quite a man! You really only hear about Hosea's life in the first few chapters of the book. From it, we find out that he was an obedient man who listened when God told him to marry a prostitute. He goes after his unfaithful wife over and over again as her wandering heart leaves him. It's so amazing to me the way God uses Hosea to demonstrate His love and mercy towards Israel. But even more so, I'm amazed by Hosea's understanding of the little value his life has. In this present age, we're told to "save" ourselves for the right person to marry. You don't want to give your heart away to just anyone...and certainly not to a prostitute. We learn to guard our hearts, not to give ourselves away too easily, and to find a godly spouse. We do it because we think we're of some sort of worth, that we ought to cherish ourselves and our lives, don't we? And yet...the fact that we even have BREATH is because God is gracious and full of mercy. We are worthless creatures trying to establish meaning in a temporary world. Hosea must have had such a firm grasp on the fact that his life was completely worthless if not used to bring glory to the One who gives him undeserved life. In reckless abandonment, he lets God use him in whichever way He pleased. Hosea knew his life was not his own...that his sole purpose was to bring God glory. He obediently marries a prostitute to illustrate God's love and mercy towards Israel. If Hosea was alive today, people might look at his marriage and feel sorry for him. They might look down on him for having married an outcast, feel bad that he has to chase after an unfaithful wife, think he's foolish to stay with her. But...when I see Hosea, I see a man who's lived a full life.

Is it possible that the world sees Samuel and feels sad that his life was so short lived? Yes. But if the fullness of life was measured by how we used it for God, then I am so convicted that Samuel lived a fuller life in his 19 days on this earth than I have in these past 18 years. He's told more people about Jesus in these 19 days then I have in my 6866-something days. God worked because Samuel was willing. The possibilities are scary if we lived fully convinced that we are just a vessel in God's great work. Imagine the glory He would receive if we were willing like Hosea and Samuel. I'm so humbled to have known Samuel's story. It's made me reexamine my life and my heart for God. Thank You, Father, for using this infant to remind me of Your goodness.