Today’s Reading:
Hebrews 11:1-12
“But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him…. By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land, as in a strange land, living in tents [as nomads] with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundation, a city designed and built by God.” (vv. 6, 9, 10 AMPV)
The author of Hebrews used faith with either an emphasis on the subjective aspect of the term; or faithfulness an objective aspect of the term. The context is the determining factor of the term stressed. Out of more than 24 uses of the term in this Chapter, the focus is more on the idea of faithfulness as an active obedience rather than of trust. The Hebrews already believe in God, and so the writer addressed them as believers of Christ. Because they do not need to be converted, Chapter 11 is meant to encourage faithfulness in the Christian life of the people as it also applies to all Christians today. Today’s reading is meant to inspire those who want to live a life of faith as the Champions of Faith.
What is faith?
Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. For by faith the heroes and heroines obtained a good testimony (vv. 1-2).
Faith is the foundation of the Christian life, and a means by which all unseen things could be tested.
As the nominal form of the verb to believe, Faith is trust or confidence in what God has promised, which will result in a life of faithfulness and perseverance.
Faith is the only essential response to the grace of God (v. 6); and Justification is the result of this faith.
Faith is focusing fully on God, believing that He exists, He does whatever He says He will do, and He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Almost all human behaviour is a result of imitation of others. Our role models are a good inclination of the character traits we admire in the life of our models and this is what we imitate. In Christendom our role models are the heroes and heroines of faith in the Bible who exhibited great courage, faithfulness and achievements. Also, our personal life- devotion, spiritual practices and experiences that brought about our knowledge of God can strengthen our faith in God. Our Christian faith is a call to faithfully screen our lives through the grid of God. Nothing is bigger than God, nothing is more powerful than or more capable than Him. We were created to share some of the attributes of God, to wholeheartedly place God as our pattern. It is then we can fully operate in the full potentials God has set for us. Faith therefore is like a gasoline which keeps our spiritual life going.
Going by the explanations above, today we fail to believe and hold on to the truth about the promises of God. We are so engrossed in fear of the unknown, and neck-deep in selfish sins that our love for worldly things have made us to forget that heaven is our home. We steal government funds meant for a whole nation as if it is our father’s inheritance, we squander and waste the nation’s resources unwisely. We deepen our roots into too much attachments to the world, amass unnecessary wealth, build concrete and steel foundations, murder to get what we want, oppress the poor and steal from the widow and fatherless. We get to positions of fame at all costs, not minding whose ox is gored. The challenge of today’s Christian therefore is that we are too complacent here on earth, we never think of ‘taking up the tent life’ as our heroes Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did (v. 9). This also is why many of us find ourselves in the wrong vocations. A brilliant student would want to be an engineer or doctor or a fulfilled business executive than being in the ministry that God called him/her to. This is why a medically minded person does not see medical occupation as a call to mission. We fill our store houses with unnecessary stuff, we increase our debts so much so, that we are committed with finances that we find it difficult to obey when God leads us to move ahead to some other places or we never give it a thought that we will one day leave this earth.
Brethren, let us wake up from our slumber! In order to have and carry out our mission and vision mandate successfully, we need to be unrestricted in our present location and situation. We need to be kingdom minded than being committed, rooted and ground to this earth. Heaven is our home!
OLUFUNMILAYO TITILOLA ADEKUSIBE
Prayer:
Father, thank You for Your love and concern for us and for the Salvation of our souls.
Our Lord and Father, thank You for going ahead of us to prepare a place in heaven where You want us to be with you, in Jesus name.
Father, thank You for protecting us from the snares of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence, in Jesus name.
My Father, set my life ablaze for your glory, in Jesus name.
Merchants of darkness in the Church of God, be chased away with the whip of fire, in Jesus name.
O Lord help us to be more committed with our divine mandate – to proclaim the Gospel truth in LOVE, in Jesus name.
Pentecostal, prophetic anointing, truth, fresh fire baptism fall upon the body of Christ, in Jesus name.
O thou that trouble the peace of our Nation, the God of Elijah shall trouble you today, in Jesus name.
O God that visited Samaria, visit our nation, and turn our scarcity to surplus, and transform lives, in Jesus name.
O Lord our Father, by Your mighty power, remove the garment of sickness and death, shame, reproach and poverty from Your people, and replace it with your garment of love, praise, rejoicing in your presence, in Jesus name.
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