Family News
Dear Friends,
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1-2)
What is it that you would like to be commended for? When you finally have lived your life on the earth and pass away into glory and stand before Jesus? When he says ’Well done good and faithful servant’, what then would you want him to commend you for? Your faith? Your good deeds? Your acts of service to the poor? Your pure and godly life style? What things are you going to invest your time, energy and passion in?
In Hebrews 11 it says that the ancients were commended for stepping out in faith, a faith that was based upon a certainty that God would go before and after them. Then the writer gives us a list of people who did mighty exploits for God. The list of people ranges from kings to prostitutes, men and women, young and old. The only thing that they had in common was an unshakeable trust in God.
As we read through Hebrews 11 a challenging question starts to build, ‘what mighty exploits is God calling me to do?’ Each of the Old Testament heroes listed in Hebrews would have been faced with a choice, ‘am I going to take God at his word and step out for him?’ They could have come up with many excuses as to why it was not a good time, why someone else would be better equipped or why they had heard wrong. However, they didn’t. They heard God and simply responded to his call, and as they stepped out, God met them right where they were, and he will do the same for us.
So what are you and I going to do next for God? What adventures are we going to allow God to take us on? It would be great if we could start to write our own version of Hebrews 11… Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the Christians at Fairfield Community Church and King’s Baptist Church were commended for. All we have to do is respond to God’s calling and take the first step. God will do the rest.
