Day 321: Ezekiel 13-15; Hebrews 11:20-40
"The world was not worthy of them" (Hebrews 11:38)
Ezekiel mentions three such heroes of the faith: Noah, Daniel and Job (Ezekiel 14:14,20). The Hebrews author runs out of space (Hebrews 11:32). Such heroes abound. They loved God more than life itself and would in no way compromise their relationship with Him. Though the world judged them and found them wanting, even to the point of banishing them, or passing the sentence of death on them, God honored them personally and immortalized their faithful lives in His Word. One thing they have in common is that they not only loved God, they loved and served the world that did not return the love. In that way, they were like the God they loved. If you think about it, they all lived life on purpose (according to their God-given SHAPE) and the result was that they embraced God's mission. What the writer of Hebrews 11 is getting at, is that these were all examples to us. We, too, can live the life of faith. In fact, without us, their mission is not complete (Hebrews 11:39-40). No pressure! However, God and those who have gone before us are depending on us! Just wait, we'll get the challenge to take this race seriously and be all-in, fixing our eyes on Jesus, called to abide in Him. We can do it! I have known more recent heroes of the faith, people of whom the world is not worthy. You have, too. They remind me to keep on keeping on. We have a God to love wholly, and a world to win until He calls us Home, or comes to take us there.
Ezekiel mentions three such heroes of the faith: Noah, Daniel and Job (Ezekiel 14:14,20). The Hebrews author runs out of space (Hebrews 11:32). Such heroes abound. They loved God more than life itself and would in no way compromise their relationship with Him. Though the world judged them and found them wanting, even to the point of banishing them, or passing the sentence of death on them, God honored them personally and immortalized their faithful lives in His Word. One thing they have in common is that they not only loved God, they loved and served the world that did not return the love. In that way, they were like the God they loved. If you think about it, they all lived life on purpose (according to their God-given SHAPE) and the result was that they embraced God's mission. What the writer of Hebrews 11 is getting at, is that these were all examples to us. We, too, can live the life of faith. In fact, without us, their mission is not complete (Hebrews 11:39-40). No pressure! However, God and those who have gone before us are depending on us! Just wait, we'll get the challenge to take this race seriously and be all-in, fixing our eyes on Jesus, called to abide in Him. We can do it! I have known more recent heroes of the faith, people of whom the world is not worthy. You have, too. They remind me to keep on keeping on. We have a God to love wholly, and a world to win until He calls us Home, or comes to take us there.
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2 Comments
Striving to what God wants me to be, but keep missing the mark. Whatever my "shape" is, it needs work. Always wanted to emulate those heroes, but I could never carry their load and "keep on keeping on."
In my own strength I cannot, so I die daily (like Paul) and live in the power of the Spirit...this is the only way I know, and it is a daily journey. You can do it!