He had three ships he
left from Spain ,
He sailed through
sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night he
sailed by day,
He used the stars to
find his way.
A compass also helped
him know,
How to find the way
to go.
Ninety sailors were
on board,
Some men worked while
others snored.
Then the workers went
to sleep,
And others watched
the ocean deep.
Day after day they
looked for land,
They dreamed of trees
and rocks and sand.
October 12 their
dream came true,
You never saw a
happier crew…”
Despite all the things that have been said and written about
Christopher Columbus over the years, be they true or not, one would have to
admit that he was an adventurer and a man with a vision. He did what most men at the time thought was
impossible or fool hearty, and while he did not accomplish his original goal of
finding a western route to the Orient, he opened the way for the European
exploration and colonization of the Americas . His daring voyage open the way for literally
thousands of others to follow their dreams in the New World .
As I was reading my Bible this morning I began to see how a
Christian’s voyage of faith can make him or her to be a Columbus
in the life of another person. In Mark
11:23 Jesus told us “For assuredly, I say
to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will
come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” (NKJV) An interesting discovery that I made was His
different uses of the words “say” and
“says.”
When Jesus talked about what we “say” to the mountain, he was talking about a one time declaration
of our faith, sort of where we draw the lie in the sand. It is the time when we take a stand of faith and
believe that we receive what we are proclaiming (or commanding to come to past according to the Greek), that is in
line with the will of God. Then He
directs us to not doubt but believe that “those
things he says will come to pass.”
The word “says” there, actually
infers what you talk about after your initial stand of faith. It is a continuing discourse to affirm the
stand that you have made. My “Eureka
So, our stand of faith can act as a lesson for someone
else. Our firm stand and confidence on
God and His Word can be the thing that draws an unbeliever to Christ, or gives
a tentative believer the courage to step out and trust God and His Word in a
new and unexplored area of their life! I
also like the idea that my faith isn’t just about me, it can and does affect
others around me!
One of the difficult things that I have had to deal with in
the constant care of my wife is to assure that I take care of myself in the
process. If I don’t stay healthy, I
cannot give her the level of care that she deserves. The hard part has been in hearing people tell
me that I need to take “me time.” I finally figured out how foreign a phrase
that is to me. I just do not think in
terms of “what I need for me,” it
sounds so selfish! The joy of my life
has been to be with my wife. When a friend recently told me that her greatest
pleasures and refreshing times come when she is alone with her husband, I could
not agree more heartily! Now I am
suddenly being told that I need to get away from my wife and it is hard to
swallow, even though I can understand the principle when it comes to being a
24/7 caregiver. The only thing that
helps me is knowing that any personal refreshing I receive also benefits her.
That’s kind of like the idea of our personal stands of faith
being of good to others as well as to ourselves. For me, it makes my stand to be even more
steadfast until I see the manifestation of what I am believing for. I want others to know of the faithfulness of
God! And if the “saying” of what I am
believing for is a lesson for others, than I am all for it! Remember, you may be the only Jesus someone
else might see!
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