Corona Devo 1915

Everyone--gather round!  Here comes the Bible lesson for today. 

Today's topic?  Faith.  

Let's look at some real people in the Bible that lived before we did, but that lived in faith to God, earning them a good (faith) reputation.  

Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.  ~Hebrews 11:2

Is that a hand I see raised in the back? 

"What is Faith?", someone asked? 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  ~Hebrews 11:1

Basically, "faith" is believing that God will do it before He actually does.

And Hebrews 11 gives us some snapshot examples of people of faith in the Bible. .

Is everyone still listening?  A gold star will go to everyone who learns about these folks: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah.

Now, here we go into today's lesson on faith: 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  (2) Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.  (3) By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.  

(4) It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.  

(5) It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. (6) And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.  

(7) It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.  

(8) It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. (9) And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. (10) Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.  

(11) It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. (12) And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.  

(13) All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. (14) Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. (15) If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. (16) But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.   ~Hebrews 11:1-16

~~~

Were we listening, Dear Ones?  

I hope that our attention did not drift from God's gaze in these verses and I pray that we understand some of the main (faith) jot-points that the Lord is using His Word to teach us today.

Why?  

Because through our faith we want to earn a good reputation (Hebrews 11:2)

If we can learn from these Biblical giants (who were really just people like us, but they became larger-than-life by believing God)...then our faith will grow because of theirs.

Like Abel, let's strive to provide acceptable offerings of ourselves, our gifts, talents, and tithes to the Lord (Hebrews 11:4)

Like Enoch, may we seek to please and sincerely seek God today.  And then, when it is our time, we will be taken up to heaven (Hebrews 11:5-6).

Like Noah, might we build our faith big and strong.  Let's obey God in ways and situations that have never happened before.  Faith isn't just words--it can't be.  Faith is an action verb.  Noah received righteousness from God because of his faith.  I want faith like Noah's, don't you?  (Hebrews 11:7).

Like Abraham, may trust God and live by faith today, knowing that we won't always have all of the coordinates when God tells us that it's time to leap.  Faith is taking the plunge anyway, and trusting our today, our tomorrow, and our forever to the Lord, just like Abraham did.  (Hebrews 11:8).

Are we feeling too old, too tired, too hurt, too sad, too spent, too poor, too faithless to serve God today?  Like Sarah, may we get the spiritual second-wind to try again in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If God has given us a promise, then let's believe and have faith that He will keep it today.  (Hebrews 11:11).

~~~

Is everyone still with us?  Hasn't this been a fascinating lesson in faith!?

Hebrews Chapter 11 is very much like walking down a hallway of faith, with word-portraits of some of our most faith-filled ancestors hanging on the walls.  

There they are.  

And here we are.  

Let's resemble them.  Let's die still believing what God has promised us.  Let's look forward to a (Heavenly) country we can call our own.  

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. (14) Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. (15) If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. (16) But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.   ~Hebrews 11:13-16

Let's keep the faith and let's earn a good reputation.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  (2) Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.  ~Hebrews 11:1-2

Blessings,  

sarah  

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com