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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

A Quest for Faith

As I mentioned in a previous post, rather than making any resolutions this year, I have made short-term goals (monthly) for various areas of my life.  For my spiritual life, my goal for the month of January was to study Faith.  Many of us have heard of the 'Faith Chapter' in the Bible, which is Hebrews 11, where so many incredible people of God are mentioned for what great things they did in obedience to God.  People like: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rehab, and so many, many more.  These saints of faith had to look in expectation of Christ, they had not received Him yet, they only had hope of Him.  We, on the other hand, have to look back at the Cross, at what He has already accomplished for us, and we merely have to accept it - what a precious gift!

I have had a difficult time summing up what exactly faith is, or what it means to me.  The Bible clearly gives us a definition in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen."  But what is faith to you?  I once read that faith is choosing to believe God's promises.  So, how are we to have faith if we do not know what God's promises are?  Many of us have one or more books lying around our house specifically named God's Promises for Women or God's Promises for Moms or Dads, there is a multitude of these little booklets, I am sure I have about three or four in our house!  But how many times have we sat down to read through any of them, to be refreshed by the specific promises listed in His word?  I must choose to believe that these promises are just as much for me as they were for Rehab.

His word must continue to revive me daily, I must make the effort to read it, pray to Him and meditate on His word.  When His word is alive within me those promises are brought to my mind in my time of need.  They are His loving hand coming over my should comforting me in my time of dispair; His loving hand stopping me in my time of tempation; His loving hand correcting me in time of disobedience.  He loves us in ways we cannot fathom, even the love we have for our children or parents cannot describe the love He has for us, and He longs for us to love Him back.  Does you life show evidence of believing in His promises?  Do you know His promises?  Do you feel His loving hand in your times of need?

Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith , who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

This verse is my hope for us all, that we would lay down those things dragging us down and pick up His word - daily.

1 comment:

  1. I love the faith chapter in Hebrews! Our faith does grow by the more time we spend with God and the more we know about His promises! Thanks for sharing! Love you!

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