Let Me Boast in the Lord.

"Thus says The Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am The Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight.'" (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

I am a failure regarding boasting and giving praise to God. Many times I try to be humble and selfless and avoid speaking about myself. I do this because I don't want to sound as if I'm full of myself and constantly boasting about how great a Christian I am. But, by trying to make myself look better I make God look worse when I fail to tell people what God has done in my life. We should never forget to tell others what The Lord has done for us. We should never forget to stress to others that we are nothing, and Jesus is everything. 

So, let me take this time now and boast in the Lord.

First, the things I cherish the most. I have a wife whom I love and who loves me with all her heart. I would give up my life for her like I would give up my life for God. Many marriages struggle but ours does not and I thank the Lord for this. She is my best friend and always will be.

I have four, yes four beautiful and healthy children that I don't deserve. Many married couples struggle with getting pregnant for years, yet Bethany and I conceive with the blink of an eye. Some will never get to experience the joy of seeing their own child be birthed into the world, or hear their child say I love you without being prompted. I thank God that He has blessed us with the lives He has and I would never ask for less children.

My family of five, and soon to be six, has survived for nearly one year on prayer alone. I rented out my home, the symbol of success in the world, and moved into an RV. I quit my secure full-time job that included benefits and much potential for growth so that I could spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have not officially had a job for nearly one year and we are still alive. I take everything to the Lord and He provides. I am not an exceptional prayer and I do not possess a gift of prayer. I have simply decided to trust the Lord with everything, as He commands us to do.

It is difficult for me to put our situation into words but allow me to try. I do not have a steady form of income. I do not have any money in savings. We do not have health insurance, life insurance or a retirement plan. We accept no government aid whatsoever. No food stamps, WIC benefits or Medicaid. I do not know how our needs are met, but they are, and it is from God.

Some of you may worry and say, "What if your car breaks down, how will you pay for repairs? What if someone needs to go to the hospital for an emergency? You must have money saved for a rainy day and for the future." Well let me tell you this, my car has broken down, twice in fact, and God provided for us to make the repairs. Bethany had to go to the emergency room during this pregnancy for bleeding, and God provided. Our RV door was practically ripped off of its hinges from a wind gust and God provided to fix it. Our heater in our RV stopped working and God provided us with a replacement. We traveled from Pennsylvania to California and God provided. We had no place to stay when we arrived in California but God provided. We had no friends when we got here but God provided. What more can I say? I am at a loss for words to describe how God has provided for all of our needs just as He promised.