What Faith is!

In Hebrews, Chapter 11, we find out all about Faith.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Hebrews who had become Christians and part of it was dedicated to the topic of faith. He knew they would understand what he was saying about faith because he used their famous forefathers as examples.

Reading the first verse we find what Paul defines as Faith, “ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see” According to Paul, faith is being positive about receiving something we’ve been promised, without any physical proof that we’re actually going to get it.

Paul went on to show how all the famous patriarchs demonstrated faith in what they did and how they pleased God by their actions. The first was that they didn’t seem to be getting any big pay-off from their faith. They weren’t getting rich and they never made the move to easy street. It’s like these guys were always in trouble with the authorities or on the brink of some great calamity.

According to these accounts, “You obey God, you live by faith, and then you die. What kind of pay-off is that?” These guys were supposed to be the examples of how faith works. How come they all died without getting the big pay-off?

Paul said, “they only saw the promises and welcomed them from a distance. 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. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 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.

Having faith isn’t about expecting something back in return, not in this life anyway. Faith is about obeying. Obeying God by doing the thing He told you to do. Obedience!!!

The thing God wants you to do may seem unpleasant at times and it will probably go against the grain of what folks around you expect of you. Doing what God wants you to do isn’t very popular most of the time.

There’s a pretty good chance that the job God has given you to do is way beyond your ability to do it. That’s one of the cool things. It proves that God gave it to you; there’s no way you can accomplish it without His regular involvement.

He has something He wants you to do for Him. For His glory. That’s your purpose. That’s why He created you.
My inside job for this week is Faith and living up to your full potential, your true potential, involves getting that purpose accomplished.
If good stuff comes your way in this life, more power to you. God loves you and He wants the best for you in this life and the next. Real faith means keeping to the task at hand even when there’s no evidence that things will ever get any better.