Hebrews – Learning to get out of the way

We come to the “hall of fame” of faith examples with wonderful words that leap of the page and into our hearts. Read all of Hebrews 11, slowly with a mind to consider these personalities as real humans who were intimate with God! Hope and encouragement will fill your heart when you do! 

“The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.” Hebrews 11, Msg

The following people were not perfect but were faithful to our Perfect Heavenly Father, the God of Creation!

Abel – “…brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he BELIEVED, not what he BROUGHT, that made the difference.”

Enoch – Skipped death completely. “We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken ‘he pleased God.’ It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists AND that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.”

Noah – Built a boat on dry land. “He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved.”

His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.” Hebrews 11, Msg

FOCUS for today, for all of us,…how strong and deep is our faith in our Heavenly Father? How intimate are we with Him? Does our faith draw a line between evil and right in God’s eyes? Do we really believe in what we do not see?

“How deep the Father’s love for us, it goes beyond all measure…” the song goes that is ringing in my heart at the moment. 

Faith. Intimacy. One leads to the other.

Dear Heavenly Father, 
Thank you for this message that quickens our hearts and challenges our minds to stop and think about just how deep our faith is in You as we ponder how deep Your love is for us. What is the depth of our belief? We cannot please you without it. We cannot become intimate with You unless we believe deeply in what we do not see. So, make us holy and believing as we come before you. Help us draw the line in the sand between the unbelieving world and belief and faith in You. We do believe. Help our unbelief. Faith takes away fear and worry. We like that. Give us more of that. Help us see the difference in worldview and Your view. Sharpen our focus. Draw the line. 
In Jesus Name, Amen