Last week in my quiet time I got a great idea to write about. I was so excited as my fingers flew across the keys, making my idea come to life.
Only now, I'm stuck. Since then, I have sat here at this computer everyday trying to write the ending. I have the worst case of writers block. I finally incorporated the help of my husband who also loves to write. Since it may be awhile until I complete my other writing piece, I thought instead of waiting until I finished it, I should keep writing to you all!
I want to ask you a simple, yet complex question. What does it take to be a faithful person? You may say it is someone who is loyal, consistent, has integrity or many other attributes. Would people look at your life and say you are faithful? Faithful to your husband, to your family, to your God? What does it mean to have faith? The Bible tells us that faith is "Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
In case you were curious, Webster's dictionary says it's "unquestioning belief, in God, religion; complete trust or confidence". It defines faithful as "loyal, accurate; reliable, conscientious". A little different than the Bible's definition, but in many ways the same too.
If you look in the great "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11, God gives us many examples of what it means to be faithful. These people were just ordinary like you or I, yet they proved themselves faithful by living a life pleasing to God. Hebrews 11:6 says that "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."
I love to look at the various things God asked of these people. He told Noah to build an ark because rain was coming...but Noah or any other person on earth had never seen rain before. And Noah did all that God told him-even though it didn't make logical sense. That's faith.
God told Abraham to go to the promise land and he went-even though he didn't know where he was going or what would happen when he got there. God told him to sacrifice his only son-the son who God had also promised his inheritance. I don't know many people who would have had the faith to climb that mountain-myself included. Not many people would trust a God who told them to kill their only son. Not many men would have the faith that their God would provide another way. It didn't make logical sense. But Abraham gathered the wood, climbed the mountain and raised the sword. He believed in the promises of God and knew that should Isaac die, God could raise him back to life (Hebrews 11:19). That's faith.
On and on the chapter goes, of God's people stepping out, risking their lives at times, to follow God's will. We know that they were a people of great faith, not by their words, but by their actions. So often God asks us to do the extraordinary, things that may not make logical sense in our minds. He often asks us to make sacrifices for His glory. It is so hard to forget that we can only see today, while God sees the next millennium. Our life is just a blip on the radar, but what we do with this short life could start a ripple that lasts well beyond our years.
The key to living a life of faith rests in the following passage: Hebrews 11:13a;16 says that "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. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own
...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".They never saw all the things God promised, yet their faith never wavered-they were still found faithful when they died. It doesn't mean that God didn't fulfill His promises, He did, it just took longer than their lifetime to complete it. Their lives of faith started that trickling effect that lasted long after they were gone. The only way they could keep the faith was by not looking at their life with an earthly perspective, but looking through the eyes of an eternal perspective. The end of this passage says that God did indeed reward them for their faith.
So now I have to look at my own life, What have I done for eternity lately? What have I done to show that I am faithful? We are not saved by works, but by God's sweet grace. But as James points out, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:26). If you truly believe Him and take Him at His word, faith will come naturally. Oh I pray that it will be said of me, "She was still living by faith when she died." It really puts life in perspective doesn't it?
