Saturday, November 13, 2010
It was by faith...
It was by faith... that's what following Jesus is all about. That's how you become a "hero" of faith!
After reading Hebrews 11, I wondered what my statement of faith would sound like? "By faith, Jeff trusted God and moved to Kentucky." ha! (And yes, that WAS a huge step of faith!) Seriously, I've found myself praying for a number of people who are going through difficult situations. This morning I thought about what their statements of faith might sound like. I can't list them here, but I prayed that their testimony would become true.
The bottom line: We don't get to be heroes of faith without actually walking by faith. Believe me, that's what your family and friends need. It's what the Church needs. And it's what our world needs. More heroes of faith. More men and women who have their eye on the One who is invisible. Believers who are trusting the One who is gracious and merciful and whose promises and commandments are completely trustworthy.
Check out the words to this old hymn. It's my prayer that they become part of your testimony.
Living by Faith
I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain.
The Lord, I know, ruleth o'er everything.
And all of my worry is vain.
Living by faith
In Jesus above
Trusting, confiding
In His great love
From all harm safe
In His sheltering arm
I'm living by faith
And feel no alarm.
Tho' tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise;
Obscuring the brightness of life.
I'm never alarmed at the overcast skies,
The Master looks on at the strife.
Living by faith
In Jesus above
Trusting, confiding
In His great love
From all harm safe
In His sheltering arm
I'm living by faith
And feel no alarm.
I know that He safely will carry me thro'
No matter what evils betide;
Why should I then care, tho' the tempest may blow,
If Jesus walks close to my side.
After reading Hebrews 11, I wondered what my statement of faith would sound like? "By faith, Jeff trusted God and moved to Kentucky." ha! (And yes, that WAS a huge step of faith!) Seriously, I've found myself praying for a number of people who are going through difficult situations. This morning I thought about what their statements of faith might sound like. I can't list them here, but I prayed that their testimony would become true.
- By faith, they trusted God's promises.
- By faith, they refused to compromise with sin.
- By faith, they kept right on going, in spite of setbacks and disappointments.
Check out the words to this old hymn. It's my prayer that they become part of your testimony.
Living by Faith
I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain.
The Lord, I know, ruleth o'er everything.
And all of my worry is vain.
Living by faith
In Jesus above
Trusting, confiding
In His great love
From all harm safe
In His sheltering arm
I'm living by faith
And feel no alarm.
Tho' tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise;
Obscuring the brightness of life.
I'm never alarmed at the overcast skies,
The Master looks on at the strife.
Living by faith
In Jesus above
Trusting, confiding
In His great love
From all harm safe
In His sheltering arm
I'm living by faith
And feel no alarm.
I know that He safely will carry me thro'
No matter what evils betide;
Why should I then care, tho' the tempest may blow,
If Jesus walks close to my side.
(Lyrics: James Wells, 1918. Composer: J. L. Heath, 1918.)
Labels: Faith, faithfulness, Hebrews 11, heroes
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Faithful Recabites
My Bible reading of late is taking me through the book of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 35, God uses a family as a living illustration of faithfulness.
The Recabites (also spelled, Rechabites) were also identified with the Kenites, descendants of Jethro (Moses' father-in-law). This relatively obscure family (or their ancestors) appear several times in Scripture. In each case, they are found on the side of righteousness.
For instance, their ancestor, Jehonadab (referenced in Jeremiah 35 as the one who gave the prohibition on drinking wine), appears as a companion to King Jehu in the slaughter of the prophets of Baal in 2 Kings 10:15 & 23. The Recabites also helped in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls in Nehemiah 3:14-15. The Recabites are living examples of those who refused to be changed by the culture around them. They would not drink wine and refused to build houses or plant crops or vineyards.
When I read this passage, I was reminded of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. They are described this way: 13All 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. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Remember the day in which the Recabites lived... Surrounded by idolaters and probably ridiculed for their backward views, they resisted the pressure to conform and compromise. And as a result, God commends their faithfulness.
We also live in a wicked culture. There is constant pressure to conform and compromise. If we are to be faithful, we must be committed to God's Word, allowing it to transform us (Romans 12:2), even under the intense pressure from this world. God is still looking for faithful families and individuals - those who will not bow the knee to what is culturally acceptable or cave in to the pressure of "progressive" ideas or philosophies.
In all likelihood, we will be ridiculed for our faith and our "backward" views, but we live with higher standards and we live for a higher commendation. We live to hear God say, "Well done, good and FAITHFUL servant"!
11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. - 1 Peter 2:11-12
For instance, their ancestor, Jehonadab (referenced in Jeremiah 35 as the one who gave the prohibition on drinking wine), appears as a companion to King Jehu in the slaughter of the prophets of Baal in 2 Kings 10:15 & 23. The Recabites also helped in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls in Nehemiah 3:14-15. The Recabites are living examples of those who refused to be changed by the culture around them. They would not drink wine and refused to build houses or plant crops or vineyards.
When I read this passage, I was reminded of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. They are described this way: 13All 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. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Remember the day in which the Recabites lived... Surrounded by idolaters and probably ridiculed for their backward views, they resisted the pressure to conform and compromise. And as a result, God commends their faithfulness.
We also live in a wicked culture. There is constant pressure to conform and compromise. If we are to be faithful, we must be committed to God's Word, allowing it to transform us (Romans 12:2), even under the intense pressure from this world. God is still looking for faithful families and individuals - those who will not bow the knee to what is culturally acceptable or cave in to the pressure of "progressive" ideas or philosophies.
In all likelihood, we will be ridiculed for our faith and our "backward" views, but we live with higher standards and we live for a higher commendation. We live to hear God say, "Well done, good and FAITHFUL servant"!
11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. - 1 Peter 2:11-12
Labels: conform, faithfulness
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