"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen."
Hebrews 11:1 ESV
Her conviction remains strong even though there is no evidence to back up her beliefs. Nine months ago, her precious daughter had been cruelly and viciously abducted from her home by an evil man. Despite the fact that most people, including law enforcement officials, assume her child is dead, this mother walks forward in faith, believing without a doubt that her child is waiting to be found and brought home, whole and undamaged.
Faith is not based on what I see around me, what makes sense or what can be proven. Instead, faith is belief in the integrity of God, knowing that He can handle the full weight of my circumstances and that He has a beautiful plan that will bring glory to Himself and good for me, His child.
Today is the final installment in a four-part series looking into the people listed in the Hall of Fame of Faith found in Hebrews 11. Let's see what we can learn from them today.
Choose Christ
He had a choice. Even though he had been raised in the luxurious palace as Pharaoh's own pampered grandson, it didn't feel like home. Moses knew his real place was among the people of his blood: The slaves known as the nation of Israel. Anyone who cared a whit about their own comfort and pleasure would not even consider leaving such extravagance. Moses, however, had his attention fixed on something greater. (Hebrews 11:24-26 NLT)
Faith is not just an internal belief that stays in my brain. For it to truly be considered faith, it must move to my hands and feet, initiating some kind of action, decision or change in behavior. (James 2:14-17) Just as Moses left his cushy life to identity himself with God's people, then departed the only place he'd ever known to escape the wrath of the Pharaoh (Hebrews 11:27) only to later return and follow God's specific Passover instructions (v 28), my faith must also result in making a choice for God.
There are a large variety of distractions and enticements that can lure me away from God. Sometimes it's worldly ways of thinking that fascinate and intrigue. Other times I'm easily sucked into recreational pursuits that end up becoming time consuming passions. Or I can get distracted from God by a desire to run after my own selfish dreams. Whatever is diverting my attention at this moment, I must choose Christ if I want to walk with Him in all my ways.
A lesson I can learn from Moses is to choose Christ over everything else that works to lure me away from Him.
Follow God
Talk about being between a rock and a hard place; on one side of the retreating multitudes stood the enormous Red Sea, on the other, the Pharaoh's chariots threateningly advanced, leaving Moses and his people no possibility of retreat. (Exodus 14) The Israelites felt certain they had met their doom.
God had a plan about which His people knew nothing. This plan defied the laws of nature and blew the minds of the millions present, both Jewish and Egyptian. In order for this strategy to work, however, the people would need to follow God into the unknown territory of walking on the bottom of a large lake while He parted the waters on either side of them. ( Hebrews 11:29)
While this may seem to be the most miraculous of feats performed by God, the next generation of Israelites would witness another such event as they finally entered into the promised land 40 years later. God gave Joshua, the new leader, a series of instructions that the people were to follow explicitly. While walking around the fortified city of Jericho and blowing trumpets seemed mundane and ridiculous, they soon saw the power of God as the walls crashed down upon completion of these harmless commands. (Joshua 6)
In order for either of these miracles to have made it into the history books, God's people had to trust the Lord enough to follow Him into unknown territory. I, too, am expected to trust God enough to do as He says, even if I don't see how it will work out or if the instructions don't make sense to me.
I am asked to forgive the cruel and vindictive, love the mean and hateful, and go after those from whom I'd rather run away. God's ways are higher than my own, putting me in the position of obeying God without expecting to know "the how" or "the why." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
A lesson I can learn from the people of Israel is to follow God even into unknown or new territory, showing my trust in His plan.
Stand Courageously
She took in the invaders, hid them on her roof, lied to the king's men and diverted the focus of the search away from their whereabouts. At risk to her own life, Rahab took a stand against evil, even though the source of darkness was the leader of her own people. She turned against the people she had known all her life and embraced two foreigners that claimed God as their leader. Knowing the fear that melted the heart of her people of this mighty God who had dried up the waters of the Red Sea, she desired to be on His side more than to stay loyal to her own. (Joshua 2)
It takes courage to go against the flow and take a stand at risk of my own life. While I haven't had to face death, I do face ridicule, embarrassment or job loss when I go out on a limb for God. Sometimes it means being on the outside of a group because I stand up for godly values, or enduring harsh treatment at work after I share my faith, or experiencing a shunning from those I thought were my friends when I share the truth found in God's Word round the water cool about abortion or gay marriage.
A lesson I can learn from Rahab is to cultivate my faith in God instead of my fear of what people may do. (Romans 8:31)
Taking a step of faith in obedience to God doesn't always make sense to my way of thinking. God, however, has a plan I know nothing about so I can choose Christ over that which tempts me, follow God into unknown territory and stand courageously even when it costs me something. These are some of the lessons I learn from studying people of great faith.
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop trying to understand and see into the future, simply trusting God instead.
How do I hold myself back because I want the details of how everything will play out?
When do I choose my own comfort or stability instead of Christ?
No comments:
Post a Comment