These People

Hebrews 11:

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.

Now that sounds SO sad, doesn’t it?  The people who are commended for their faith in the Bible, these famous names that we all know and love, died not receiving all of God’s promises for them.

But according to this verse, they weren’t sad at all.  Why?

They saw the things promised.

They welcomed them from a distance.

They realized the earth wasn’t their final home.

A friend of mine once wrote about how even our talents and treasures that we often don’t feel are used to their fullest are just getting started down here.  Who’s to say that the inner voice you have that wants to sing melodies you only hear in your head won’t be proclaimed to the nations one day, even if it doesn’t happen until you die?

It’s SO hard to live a life that’s not based on what we see with our eyes.  But it’s imperative that we learn to do so.

I want to still be living by faith when I die.  Do you?

As Good as Dead

Hebrews 11 cont’d:

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

I know you’ve heard this story many times, about how Abraham and Sarah were promised a son, and how that promise wasn’t fulfilled until they were super old – way past the “normal” childbearing years. In fact, the promise was so huge that from that promised son came descendants too numerous to count!

We see our lives in such finite measures, and we feel as though life is sweeping past so fast and we have missed so much, because of our  mistakes, our past, or just not understanding life and God, and all we’re “supposed” to do.

However, God has made so many promises in his word that are for all of us, including a future and a hope – good things to come.

We can hold on to this promise, no matter how many mistakes we’ve made, how bleak the future looks, or how old we are becoming. 

Our life is not defined by our years here on earth.  This is just the beginning, the foothold where we learn about faith and the goodness of God and the promises he has for those who choose to believe.

If you feel “as good as dead,” consider Him faithful – the One who promises to bring beauty out of ashes – and rest in that promise.

And watch…for the fulfillment.

Holy Fear

Hebrews 11:7

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

I like this version where it says Noah “in holy fear” built an ark to save his family, and by faith he “condemned the world.”

Haven’t there been times when you’ve had to “condemn” the world (not people) and make a choice to save your family?

For example, when the world presses you to place your children in activities you cannot afford and don’t have the time to do, you choose to keep family time intact.  That’s building an ark of safety.

When the world presses you to let your kids go anywhere, any place, come home any time and you choose to place limits and boundaries on them because you love them…that’s building an ark of safety.

And when the world tells you how to look, how to act, and none of it is holy or pure, and you choose to be true to your husband or your Lord, and you maintain a loving heart towards others…you’re building an ark of safety for your family.

When you do all of these things, you are acting in faith, and this pleases God.

In fact, you become an heir of all good things that your Father has in store for those who love him and trust in Him.

Impossible

Hebrews 11 cont’d:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I have tried my entire life to please God.  I gave tithes to my church, I stepped up and served when I was asked to do so, I tried to be as good as I knew how to be.  But there were times when being good was not really outlined for me, and at those times I felt lost like a fish out of water. 

When we rent an apartment or home, we try to please the landlord by obeying a list of ground rules, keeping up with the  maintenance of the place, and by honoring their wishes about life in their home.   It’s all about the rules, and we may never even see the landlord if we obey them all.

But God isn’t like a landlord.  He wants a relationship, one of trust.  He wants to take up residence in the home he provides for us, and all he requires from us is faith in his Word, that he exists, and that he is good.

Once we do this, we can rest from all of the lists that we make ourselves, things to check off, in order to please him.

You want to please God?  Trust in Him. Period.

This is It

Hebrews 11

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

I suppose this is one of the most commonly quoted verses in the Bible. 

So why do you think it is that God wants us to trust and hope in things we cannot see?  I mean, why have eyes to see, and hands to feel, if the things we see and touch are fleeting…not permanent…have no foundation?

Isn’t that interesting?

It’s because we are spirit AND flesh.  And our flesh will eventually die away.  From the moment we’re born, that sweet soft flesh of our baby bodies turns into old, flaky, hard flesh as we age.  It was never intended to last.  And all that we see with our eyes, like houses and cars, and “stuff,” also dies.  Even our desire to have it all changes from day to day, because none of those things satisfy our spirit.

We can’t see our spirit, it’s the inside part of our being.  It’s the part we wish people knew, but they only see us on the outside.

But Jesus knows. 

He wants the spirit within us to cry out and trust in Him, to hold fast our hope and confidence in all that he promises and says that is true in his Word, and to do this -  even when we can’t see it.

And when we do, we will be commended for it.  And rewarded.

You Belong

Hebrews 10 cont’d:

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

I just read this verse and saw something! 

Sometimes, if we have grown up in a home where God was not present, or we’ve been wounded or adversely affected by even those who profess to be Christians, we feel as though we are tainted somehow by the “family” that hurt us.

However, this verse says we don't have to be!

We don’t belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed (those who profess to have faith but their actions show something different).

We do belong to those who have faith and are saved (those who walk in the truth and love God and love others, as they love themselves.)

When we accept Christ, we are accepted into his family – those who truly love him and care for the body of Christ.  The ones who shrink back and try to pull others with them are not pleasing to Him, and we are not chained to them.

Isn’t that awesome?

If you’re feeling stuck by your past, by those who’ve hurt you, or even by those with whom you used to be so close to…just realize they don’t own you or define you.

Christ owns you and defines you, and he will set you in a place with others who follow Him and love you, as you are…

Great Reward

Hebrews 10:35

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

“Therefore” – that word means something before it was important.

We learned the past two days in the devos that holding fast our hope and encouraging others in their hope are two important daily practices necessary for not wavering in our faith.

And when we do these things…endurance occurs.

Endurance is lacking in so many, today.  Marriages end because neither party wants to endure the work it takes to heal wounds and build a firm foundation.  Parent/child relationships crumble because parents turn to work, drugs, or affairs to meet their needs at the expense of the needs of their children.  If it’s not working, we run, or we look for an out.

The same thing can occur as we walk with Christ, if we “throw away” our confidence in hard times.  It’s God’s will that we confess our hope in him and encourage those with whom we walk to do the same.

Imagine watching the Olympics and observing each runner just slumping off on the sidelines as they run, never reaching the finish line.  That’s never happened!  It’s because they are trained to endure until the end.

We must train our mouths to confess hope, our hearts to be unwavering, and we must love our neighbors enough to encourage them as well.

A great reward awaits those who choose to obey the will of God to endure until the end…