Faith in Action
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All 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, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, 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.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword;whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Matthew 25:23
Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant
23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
When I attend funerals and listen as the minister talks about the life a person passing I have different thoughts...And as we age, I think we have a tendency to look back on our own lives, too...We think about the passing of others, often in terms of what they and sometimes relate it to what we have done and accomplished on earth...What is our or their legacy?...How successful was that person?...Did they enjoy working and working with people?...What will I do or did he do after retirement?...These were some of my thoughts at past funerals, I have attended...
Many, if not all, of my thoughts are of earthly things and earthly legacy thoughts, and not of the spiritual, when it comes to a death and the passing of someone...Chapter eleven of Hebrews has always made me think about faith, in terms of others instead of focusing on the true definition of faith...The author gives us examples of some of the people with great faith in the Old Testament...Can a person be looked at for his faith, and be successful and thought of as a success on earth?...Can and does building one's life on faith make one a success?...Why don't we place more on our faith -since the author focuses on the importance of one's faith?...The author of Hebrew defines faith, and then gives us examples of people of faith...There is much more about the examples of faith, than there is in the three verses of the definition on faith that starts chapter eleven...So the author wants us to look and study his examples of faith, and people who have faith...
When I think of Abel, he brought a generous offering to the LORD...When I think of Enoch, I think of him not experiencing death, and going to the LORD...When I think of Noah, I think of him following God and His instructions and building an ark...When I think of Abraham, I think of him being our first Patriarch and following God...Abraham would leave his home and country and go to a place God would show him...Abraham would leave everything He knew, because God ask him to...And God would make a covenant with Abraham...And when I think of Sarah, I think of her faith and how she was tested in her faith, to have a son named Isaac after her ninetieth or ninety first year on earth... When I think of Isaac and Joseph I think of the next two Patriarchs and son and grandson of Abraham...They followed in Abraham's footsteps, but also followed the LORD...When I think of Joseph, I think how he helped Egypt to survive the famine after being locked up in prison, and all the time following God...Moses led the Hebrew people, and descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob out of Egypt and to the Promised Land, with the help of the LORD -always following, and always listening to Him...And there are others who followed the LORD...All these people had faith and followed God and His will...They are all people of faith...These people are remembered for their faith in God...
So now as view the author's words, I think a successful life and how we remember people is related to one's faith...It is not about accumulating wealth, having three cars, and two or three houses...Life is not about material things...We are told nothing about how wealthy each of these people are in Hebrews...All of these examples have one thing in common -their faith in God...And all these people of faith had great lives...Sure they had some troubles, but all these people had great faith...It is faith that makes one's life happy and successful...We see the importance of people's faith in these verses...These people are remembered by us and by this author, because of their faith...We see from these verses that faith makes one's life...
Can building one's life on faith make one a success?...When I think this thought, I now think of Jesus...He built His life completely on faith...He is the most successful One ever to walk the earth...He is the One, with the Greatest of Faith...He is now sharing eternity with His Father, because He was and is a Good and Faithful Servant...We also remember Him, because of His Great Faith...