Grab a cup of coffee and a comfortable chair and read and reread Hebrews 11. I think you will find it to be an inspiring, encouraging chapter that deals with our mighty heritage in faith!
What is faith? Glad you asked! "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 NRSV. The important words here for me are assurance and conviction. Faith is not just another word for hope, faith has more substance and expectation to it than mere hope. When we walk in faith, we walk with conviction - convinced that God is with us. When we walk with faith it is with a divine assurance that God is ready willing and able to do all that God has promised!
The "Hall of Faith" section of this chapter is inspiring. Regular people like us are recounted because they walked by faith. From Abel through Abraham, from Joseph through Joshua. All walking in faith.
The news is not always easy and pleasant though. "Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented-- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect." Hebrews 11:35-40 NRSV. Powerful testimony to those who went before us. It brings me to tears as i read of their suffering and faithfulness. The sentence, "of whom the world was not worthy." breaks something deep inside of me and I feel something akin to patriotism.
Thanks be to God for all of the saints that have gone before us and set such a good example of faith. Who is in your "Hall of Faith" friend? If they have died, take a moment to give thanks to God for their life touching yours. If they are alive, thank God, and now go thank them!
About Me
- Pastor Bill
- I am a committed follower of Jesus Christ, a happy husband, father and grandfather!
3 comments:
Wow, what a chapter. I agree with your coffee idea - except that I don't really like coffee, but I love comfortable chairs - haha!
The first verse of this chapter has always been something that I use in my faith as a remembrance of what I am living, and I use it a lot when I'm explaining to kids how faith has to work. ("You can't see air, but you don't doubt that it's there, right?"). People in general (even us sometimes) want to see these things, and don't want to have to have real faith to be saved. But then, look at the "hall of faith" and see how many people HAD faith and went through so much for it, and also those who received many great things because of it.
Love verse 1 - true tale of faith
The suffering that those people went through was crazy - no one has really asked me to do anything like be flogged or something, so it's hard to say if I'd be able to. I'd love to say that I'd do it in a heartbeat for my Lord and Savior.
But the world is not worthy...which is really sad.
I shall think of my Hall of Faith. Bill you're in it, so thanks. I thank God for you and the Blog often. It's been so great.
What an incredible chapter - so much history and everything. Makes me glad to know some of the new testament stories!
God bless all!
Marshall Bailey
Hey Marshall,
You make this blog more fun by writing in as often as you can.
Someday, if the Lord wills it, I'd love to share ministry with you and your bride. It would be cool to have you guys involved with the new church plant...
Who knows what God will do with us!
Bill
For me, the key of this chapter is the part about faithfulness even though those mentioned never saw the fulfillment of the promise God laid out for them, or at least had to wait a long time to see the promise completed. Can we have faith, act with faith, even if the promise is fulfilled for someone else, beyond our lives? That's the real faith question for me.
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