Not only were they commended by their fellow man, they were commended by God. As much as I love the approval and encouragement of human beings, I primarily desire to be commended by God. Man pleasing is addicting. I desire the kind of faith that pleases God. How do I know the ancients were commended for their faith? Hebrews 11:1 is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. It says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Now that is faith. Not seeing and believing, hoping and trusting in God. Faith that was without the whole Bible, without the church, without the Messiah, without thousands of years of written history, without faith that is based on the experiences of walking with and knowing God. Like Adam and Eve, like Noah, like Ruth, like Abraham, Isaac and Joseph, like Moses.
These of course are “Hall of Fame Faith” folks. But for me, this is what I desire. If I am alone, without my support system, without all the conveniences of modern faith, do I still have faith? Faith when I have sinned, like Adam, like Eve. Faith like Noah when everyone thinks you are crazy, then it starts to rain like crazy. Faith like Ruth when you’ve got nobody. Faith like Abraham or Isaac when they are walking up the mountain. Faith like Joseph at the bottom of a well. Faith like Moses waiting for the water to part. Substantial faith. Hopeful faith. Trusting faith. Rock Solid Faith. Through the doubt, through the fear, through the trouble, through the storm and the unknown.
God desires to commend us for such faith. Dare we risk it? Dare we live it? Dare we become living testimonies of such faith? I’m working on it. How about you?
Faithfully,
Pastor Fred
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