General

I really cannot believe we are celebrating Jack, my son’s, third birthday. It seems like yesterday we found out that we were expecting our first baby and how excited we were to find out it would be a boy! How awesome it was to be parents but oh what a responsibility.

Psalm 127:3-4

³ Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

⁴ As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

God has blessed my wife and I with our son and just as an archer has a target for his arrows so I have a target for my son. Since the day he was born I have been praying for his early salvation, surrender to the Lord, a call to preach the Gospel and for his future spouse. These prayers are all focused on the target of my son following God with all of his heart all of his life. Realizing how fast that last three years have gone, it is so very clear that everyday is key in teaching my little man to follow and obey God. I am thankful for my wife, a godly mother, who works hard at home to teach him what is right and wrong. I look forward to all that God will do with Jack’s life for His glory.

My wife and I were reflecting on the past 5 years and recalling memorable moments, places, activities and people for a little scrapbook she is putting together. It is awesome to be able to look back see all the things I have been able to enjoy with the greatest woman in all the world. When I married her on July 7, 2007, I did not fully realize the gift that God had given me. Each of the past 1,825 days have been a fresh realization of just how much of a blessing it is to call Sheila Kagin my wife. I thank God every day for her and I am thankful in these 7ways….

1. She is a spiritual lady. She walks with God. She desires to grow and be a better Christian tomorrow than she was today. She is sensitive to the Spirit of God and I treasure that in my wife!
2. She is a supportive wife. I don’t have to wonder if she will support the call of God on my life. She often makes comments to me (before and after preaching, when I have had a rough day or during some ministry difficulty) that let me know she is right there with me.
3. She is a sweet wife. I am thankful I am not married to a grump! Her sweet spirit attracted me to her and continues to bless me. Her sweet spirit has set a mood in our home for both me and my children.
4. She is sensitive to needs. I can think of so many times that she has seen a need or realized it was a special day for someone and she did something about it. Often she has stayed up late to make a cake, a meal or write notes  just to be a blessing. I am thankful she is a giver and not a taker.
5. She has a sharp mind. She is able to do so many things well and she is constantly learning and gathering ideas. (Sometimes this mean a larger honey-do-list!) She has an incredible mind when it comes to organization and numbers (finances). She keeps all our financial records in an excel spreadsheet that is mind boggling. I appreciate her sharpness!
6. She is strategic mother. She does not take a hap-hazard approach to mothering our children. She has a desire that they do right and does whatever she can to teach them. I think specifically of when we were beginning to teach our son about character. She took 3×5 cards and a 3×5 card holder and created the “Kagin Character Box”. On those cards she wrote out about 90 character traits and their definitions to aid in teaching our son and daughter character that will help them make right choices.
7. She is a superb cook. You could never tell from my waist size, but my wife is an amazing cook. She is adventurous and creative. Some of here cakes are professional quality. There is only one meal in the last five years that was a flop (the burnt but still bloody fried chicken -She would tell you the same thing.) I love to my wife’s cooking!

On August 27, 2006 I asked her to marry me, and I gave her a ring with one diamond and two rubies. Those rubies were included to remind her everyday of what I thought about her. I thought then and still today that she is a virtuous woman and her price is far above rubies.

Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the LORD.”

This is never easy for us to do. I am sure you have figured that out. Perhaps that is why God so often requires it of us. I will never forget Bro. Bill Cottle telling me just before God called him home, “Joe, Wait on the Lord, Wait on the Lord.” Really, waiting on the Lord is simply trusting Him for every situation of life. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small, but in them all we have to learn to trust Him. I love what G. Campbell Morgan said about waiting on God.

“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort.  Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”

Honor with men is never more important than honor with God. I learn this truth in the fascinating story of Baalam and Balak. Balak, king of Moab, saw the Israelites, who were camping out on his borders, as a threat to the Moabite national security. He called for Baalam, a “prophet”, to come to his aid. Balak told him, “…I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.” God’s will was clearly against Baalam going to Moab and cursing Israel. God repeatedly told Baalam “No” and once he was on his way God told him that he would only be allowed to say what God put in his mouth. Three times Baalam attempted to verbally curse Israel, but instead he blessed them. We can all take comfort in the fact that God protects His own. After Baalam blessed Israel for the third time, we hear some interesting words from angry King Balak. “And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honor.” Many times honor with men means no honor with God. In fact, sometimes in striving for honor with men we actually will lose out on both honor with men and God as it was in Baalam’s situation. This may play out in your life in the arena of being dishonest on the job to please your employer, choosing not to take a stand for God among your family or friends in order not to look weird, or seeking to be something you are not to gain the praise of men. Whatever your situation, honor with God ought always be our first priority. Let’s make that commitment to God today. 

You can read the story of Baalam and Balak in Numbers 22-24.