1 Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. 2 The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith.
Acts of faith by God’s people
3 By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible.
4 By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain, which showed that he was righteous, since God gave approval to him for his gift. Though he died, he’s still speaking through faith.
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he didn’t see death, and he wasn’t found because God took him up.[a] He was given approval for having pleased God before he was taken up. 6 It’s impossible to please God without faith because the one who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards people who try to find him.
7 By faith Noah responded with godly fear when he was warned about events he hadn’t seen yet. He built an ark to deliver his household. With his faith, he criticized the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes from faith.[Footnotes:
Hebrews 11:5 Gen 5:24]
RG AUDIO 020515
Sometimes faith is confusing. Is faith ideology, a feeling, or an action? The word is often applied interchangeably with a variety of definitions. Clarity can be lost. However, Hebrews presents a clear definition of faith.
Faith trusts what we cannot see. Faith means that we choose to lean into life, believing that as we move closer to Christ He is pleased. He delights in us, and leans into our lives in a deeper way.
Our infant grandson loves the water. During the summer, his father would take him into the pool, blow into his face, and they would go under the water. The first time I observed their play I was anxious, but I learned that when Ashley blew into his face Gavin automatically held his breath. He was happy to explore underwater with his Dad. The more I watched, the more I enjoyed their mutual delight: father and son, giggling and splashing in the water.
What pleases God is a faith that has “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
Hymn for Today: "On Faith Alone" by Robert Pierre
On faith alone I stand
There is no higher ground
I give all I am
For my soul will never doubt
Though the storms they may be raging
You have always held my hand
To thy cross my heart will always cling
On faith alone I stand
On faith alone I live
Not in what I say or do
But the blood you freely give
Covers me and makes me new
For your love is ever with me
Lord Jehovah Great I AM
oh my trust grows stronger
On my knees
On faith alone I stand
Chorus:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, on faith alone
I stand
When I reach my final breath
And I fall into Your arms
I'll proclaim with no regrets
On faith alone
Sola Fide, Sola fide
Sola fide, on faith alone
I stand
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, on faith alone
I stand
____________________________
Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living "Throw Away Faith" of Global Church of the Nazarene for Wednesday, 4 February 2015 - Scripture: Hebrews 10: Confidence and faith to endure
"Throw Away Faith" by Cindy Lowcock
RG AUDIO 020415
The Jewish believers in Jesus were trying to live a new kind of faith. They knew about the Law. For generations they were raised with absolutes, but now they were experiencing a religion that did not require ritual but rather required relationship. They were learning to live a life of faithfulness, a life of belief not in a distant God but in a living Lord.
What is it like when you try something new? Are you ready for the challenge or do you feel hesitant about the unknown? I imagine that these Jews felt some conflict, maybe vacillating in their confidence about this new way of life.
To have confidence is to have faith, to be so close to someone or something that you are absolute and unwavering in your trust. Disagreement, ridicule, comparison, and failure can rob us of confidence in what we believe that we may be tempted to toss it aside in frustration. We can’t throw away the trust that we have in the Lord. We must live in confident trust in the One who has always been faithful.
Hymn of The Day: "LET US PLEAD FOR FAITH ALONE" by Charles Wesley
____________________________
Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living "Throw Away Faith" of Global Church of the Nazarene for Wednesday, 4 February 2015 - Scripture: Hebrews 10: Confidence and faith to endure
32 But remember the earlier days, after you saw the light. You stood your ground while you were suffering from an enormous amount of pressure. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to insults and abuse in public. Other times you became partners with those who were treated that way. 34 You even showed sympathy toward people in prison and accepted the confiscation of your possessions with joy, since you knew that you had better and lasting possessions. 35 So don’t throw away your confidence—it brings a great reward. 36 You need to endure so that you can receive the promises after you do God’s will.
37 In a little while longer,
the one who is coming will come and won’t delay;
38 but my righteous one will live by faith,
and my whole being won’t be pleased with anyone who shrinks back.[a]
39 But we aren’t the sort of people who timidly draw back and end up being destroyed. We’re the sort of people who have faith so that our whole beings are preserved.[Footnotes:
Hebrews 10:38 Hab 2:3-4]
RG AUDIO 020415
The Jewish believers in Jesus were trying to live a new kind of faith. They knew about the Law. For generations they were raised with absolutes, but now they were experiencing a religion that did not require ritual but rather required relationship. They were learning to live a life of faithfulness, a life of belief not in a distant God but in a living Lord.
What is it like when you try something new? Are you ready for the challenge or do you feel hesitant about the unknown? I imagine that these Jews felt some conflict, maybe vacillating in their confidence about this new way of life.
To have confidence is to have faith, to be so close to someone or something that you are absolute and unwavering in your trust. Disagreement, ridicule, comparison, and failure can rob us of confidence in what we believe that we may be tempted to toss it aside in frustration. We can’t throw away the trust that we have in the Lord. We must live in confident trust in the One who has always been faithful.
Hymn of The Day: "LET US PLEAD FOR FAITH ALONE" by Charles Wesley
1. Let us plead for faith alone
Faith which by our works is shown;
God it is Who justifies,
Only faith the grace applies.
2. Active faith that lives within,
Conquers hell and death and sin,
Hallows whom it first made whole,
Forms the Savior in the soul.
3. Let us for this faith contend,
Sure salvation is the end;
Heaven already is begun,
Everlasting life is won.
4. Only let us persevere
Till we see our Lord appear,
Never from the Rock remove,
Saved by faith which works by love.
No comments:
Post a Comment