The Lord’s Share

Martyn Lloyd-Jones told a story about a farmer who went into the house one day to tell his wife and family some good news. “The cow just gave birth to twin calves, one red and one white,” he said.

He continued, “We must dedicate one of these calves to the Lord. We will bring them up together, and when the time comes, we will sell one and keep the proceeds and we will sell the other and give the proceeds to the Lord’s work.” His wife asked him which he was going to dedicate to the Lord. “There’s no need to bother about that now,” he replied, “we’ll treat them both in the same way, and when the time comes, we’ll do as I say.”

A few days later, he entered the kitchen looking unhappy. “What happened?” his wife asked. “I have bad news,” he replied. “The Lord’s calf is dead.” “Wait,” said his wife, “you didn’t decide which calf was to be the Lord’s.” “Yes,” he said, “I decided it was the white one, and the white one died. The Lord’s calf is dead.”

Morning Glory, January 17, 1994