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| 2011/12/16 10:16:21瀏覽364｜回應1｜推薦11 | |
| This past week we've been studying the Book of Hebrews in our Bible Study Fellowship. It's a book full of doctrines but absolutely foundational truths for every believer in Christ. I especially love chapter 11. It contains authentic examples of people who were fully committed to God and shows how we may persevere and triumph as they did. Chapter 11 gives a definition of faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."(Hebrews 11:1)The writer of Hebrews says "faith" is what defined those ancients and that's what they were commended for. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is the only sacrifice we offer to God that would please Him. Faith is man's response to what God has said, not what we think what God has said, but "what He really said" as the Bible records. My BSF notes read "Faith is not a matter of believing in oneself to fulfill one's potential. It is not a positive mental framework or maintaining a serene emotional atmosphere. It is a deliberate decision to put one's full trust in the character of God who will do what He has promised." The writer gives a host of names which belongs to what we would call "The Hall of Faith". The list includes Abel who offered a better sacrifice than his brother Cain; Enoch who was commended as one who pleased God was taken by God without experiencing death; Abraham responded to God's call by leaving his comfort zone and moving into an unknown place with his family; Sarah, who after laughing at God, had faith and was able to conceive at the age of 90....the list goes on. I have read Hebrews 11 a few times before and some of the Scriptures in this chapter contain my favorite Bible verses. But when I reread it this time, it struck me that the people who belong to the "Hall of Faith" were flawed human beings like you and me. Abraham--the Father of Faith, lied twice about his wife Sarah when the King of Philistine tried to take her as his wife. Moses--one of the greatest leaders in the Old Testament who led the Israelite out of Egypt because he saw Christ in the eye of faith, had a rebellent past before he was expelled from the place where he grew up. King David--known for being courageous in the battle with the giant Goliath, despite being a great poet and king, had a serious issue with his purity. He had an affair with Bathsheba and even went on to murder her husband Uriah. God knows we are full of flaws, but He chooses not to look at our flaws. He looks at our faith. It is no wonder that the writer of Hebrews lists the prostitute Rahab as one of the great heroines in the "Hall of Faith". She is in that same category with Abraham and Moses not because she lied about the spies, but because she feared God more than her own King of Jericho. Again, God looks on our heart and not our outward expressions. "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised." the writer says. Faith is being confident that obedience to God brings the highest reward. Those ancients exemplified what living a life of faith looks like. In my personal journey of faith, I also came across a number of people whose persevering faith define their characters and in my opinion should be acknowledged in the "Hall of Faith". One of them is my mentor and teacher who trains us at our Bible Study. Humble and transparent, S is someone I always look up to spiritually and intellectually. I'm always awestruck by her willingness to be vulnerable before us. In sharing her struggles with us recently, she said, "How I wish I could tell you that God had blessed me by making me the best mother and best wife, that my children are straight A students in school and my husband has zero complaints about me. Unfortunately, that's not how God works." Being a spiritual leader who shepherds over 500 women, S is faithful in preparing and giving lectures week after week despite a personal trial she's going through at her household. "Did you ever consider quitting?" I once asked her. She said she had thought about it. But all the doors had closed on her. She was left with no choice but continue to teach and persevere. It was hard. But she hung on and delivered powerful lecture every single week to women hungry and thirsty for God's word. Her relentless ability to press on toward what God had entrusted her spiritually and complete reliance on God's power speak loudly to me in the lessons of "faith". "Faith," S said in her lecture, "is taking me to an unknown territory and I have complete trust that God's power is able to defeat every enemy in that place." Faith is living out what you believe in. My friend S did just that. |
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