Faith

I've been reading the book of Hebrews and have finished chapter 11. I love what Paul says about faith. I'd like to write some verses down and what they mean to me.

"Now faith is the assurance you will receive what you hope for." verse 1

When I was first a Christian, I had little faith but I know I had some, for Jesus told us all humanity has a seed of faith in them. But at that time, I was afraid of God. I thought if I did any small thing wrong, he would turn away from me and then punish me. Little wonder I didn't enjoy my walk with Christ.

Over the years my faith has grown. I know God loves me. I know I am his child. What do I hope for? I hope some day to live with him in heaven. I hope to sit at his feet and hear his stories, his wisdom and his love. I believe I will receive what I hope for. By God's grace I will be with him in heaven to be happy and at peace forever more.

"Faith is the conviction of things you have not seen." verse 1

I have never seen God except in dreams, but I believe in him. I cannot see love, truth or justice, but I believe in them. I cannot see the results of the sacrifices I have made, but I believe they will bear fruit. I cannot see why I have had certain trials, but I believe there is a reason and I will understand one day.

"By faith we understand the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made of things which are visible." verse2

I believe in the creative power of God. I believe he made the whole universe out of nothing. I believe he created the world in six days and rested the seventh day. I believe he made man in his own image. The world says no, it could not have been done that way. But the Bible says in the fourth commandment, "For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in it..."

Oh Lord, may our faith grow each day. Help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Dread or Faith?

In my other blog, Tales From a Loser, at http://belle-goodmorninggod.blogspot.com I wrote last night about the fact a roommate of my grandson bought a python, a snake that can even kill and eat a deer! I was very upset at the news and was feeling sick about it and crying when I went to bed.

I've been re-reading a book by Joyce Meyer called, "New Day, New You," and the first chapter I opened last night was entitled , "Dread Drains, Faith Energizes." I thanked God right away, for I knew this was a subject I needed to read about. She quoted a verse from the Bible: "Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22

The last paragraph in this teaching was: "The future is coming, no matter how much we fear or dread it. God gives us what we need for each day, but he does not give us tomorrow's grace or wisdom today. If we use today trying to figure out tomorrow, we feel pressure because we are using what we have been allotted for today. Probably one of the greatest ways we show our trust in God is by living life one day at a time. We prove our confidence in him by enjoying today and not letting the concern of tomorrow interfere."

Today, I will choose Faith instead of Dread.

He Endured the Cross.

"Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

"For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:2-3

When we feel discouraged, Paul tells us to consider what Jesus went through for us.

Crucifixion was not only painful, it was shameful, since everyone was crucified naked.

This is an explanation of Crucifixion by Wikipedia:

Crucifixion was often performed to terrorize and dissuade the onlookers from perpetrating the crimes punishable by it. Victims were left on display after death as warnings. Crucifixion was usually intended to provide a death that was particularly slow, painful (hence the term excruciating, literally "out of crucifying"), gruesome, humiliating, and public, using whatever means were most expedient for that goal. Crucifixion methods varied considerably with location and time period.

In some cases, the condemned was forced to carry the crossbeam on his shoulders to the place of execution. A whole cross would weigh well over 300 pounds (135 kilograms), but the crossbeam would weigh only 75–125 pounds (35–60 kilograms).[7] The Roman historian Tacitus records that the city of Rome had a specific place for carrying out executions, situated outside the Esquiline Gate,[8] and had a specific area reserved for the execution of slaves by crucifixion.[9] Upright posts would presumably be fixed permanently in that place, and the crossbeam, with the condemned person perhaps already nailed to it, would then be attached to the post.

The person executed may have been attached to the cross by rope, though nails are mentioned in a passage by the Judean historian Josephus, where he states that at the Siege of Jerusalem (70), "the soldiers out of rage and hatred, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest."[10] Objects used in the crucifixion of criminals, such as nails, were sought as amulets with perceived medicinal qualities.[11]

While a crucifixion was an execution, it was also a humiliation, by making the condemned as vulnerable as possible. Although artists have depicted the figure on a cross with a loin cloth or a covering of the genitals, writings by Seneca the Younger suggest that victims were crucified completely nude.[12] When the victim had to urinate or defecate, they had to do so in the open, in view of passers-by, resulting in discomfort and the attraction of insects. Despite its frequent use by the Romans, the horrors of crucifixion did not escape mention by some of their eminent orators. Cicero for example, in a speech that appears to have been an early bid for its abolition,[13] described crucifixion as "a most cruel and disgusting punishment", and suggested that "the very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen’s body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears."[13]

Frequently, the legs of the person executed were broken or shattered with an iron club, an act called crurifragium, which was also frequently applied without crucifixion to slaves.[14] This act hastened the death of the person but was also meant to deter those who observed the crucifixion from committing offenses.[14]

Moses' Faith.

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
He considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward." Hebrews 11:24-26

I feel stirred inside when I read these verses. All around us in the news we here of what people will do for power and riches. Then we see Moses, who gave it all up and followed God. He knew what was truly valuable in life; knowing God and living for him.

Moses made a terrible mistake when he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. He thought he was ready to lead the Hebrews to freedom. But he was wrong, and in the desert, for forty years, he learned patience, faith and love until God could finally use him to free Israel from slavery.

What an example Moses was for us! We can learn so much from his life.

A Kind Word.

Every day I go to the web site of Our Daily Bread at http://odb.org
They have a list of devotionals that I read through. They are usually thoughtful and inspiring. The one I read tonight made me smile. It was written by David McCasland.

He tells of two students from Purdue University who wanted to help people. They decided that once a week they would hold a sign that said, "Free Compliments" and to give a compliment to anyone who stopped by. Some students said they would go there each week to hear a kind word.

Words have great power; they can lift a person up, or pull a person down.

I remember when Peter said to Jesus, "You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68

The people noticed Jesus' words, "And all were speaking well of him , and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from his lips..." Luke 4:22

One man called Jesus, "A prophet, mighty in word and deed in the sight of God and all the people."

When I think of my own life; the words people say to me are important. I pray that we might always say kind and loving words as we interact with people. May God's hand be on us prompting us to say the right thing.

This is an excerpt from the book, Jesus Did it Anyway, by Kent M. Keith.

"We know there is beauty and goodness in the world, but sometimes it is hard to see. Instead, we see only conflict and suffering. Every day, the newspapers report the beatings, the killings, the sickness and starvation, the inhumanity of human beings toward each other...Does anybody understand what we are going through?"

"Jesus suffered. He experienced cruelty and pain and hate. But he did more than that; he showed us how to triumph over the cruelty and pain and hate. He showed us that even in a world in which evil is strong, we can be who we are meant to be, and do what we are meant to do. He showed us how to rise above our fear and despair. He showed us how to live our faith and find meaning and deep happiness."

As I think about the suffering in Japan right now, and the suffering all over the world, I need God to help me rise above my fear and despair. There was the same kind of suffering in Jesus time. There has been suffering from the beginning of sin in heaven. How God and Jesus must have suffered when they lost their child Lucifer! How them must suffer still as they see all he has caused.

Yet Jesus never despaired or was fearful when he was here as a man. Although, perhaps in the Garden of Gethsemane he came close to that. But as God does for us, he did for Jesus, in sending an angel to strengthen him. I wonder how I would react if I were in the midst of a terrible earthquake and lost everything. Would I trust in God? Would I have peace and patience? Or would I be angry and depressed? Having never gone through such a thing, I don't know.

I pray for the people of Japan and all the countries where there is great suffering. May God help them. May God help us all.

Jesus was Tempted.

Paul says in Hebrews 4:14-16 that Jesus is our high priest in heaven. He goes on to say, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet he did not sin."
Paul says this should give us confidence before God to receive mercy and find grace.

Jesus was tempted in all things. What does this mean. Did he sometimes feel like swearing, stealing, killing? Was he tempted to go his own way apart from God?

When he was in the wilderness, Satan tempted him by showing him all the kingdoms of the world. He told Jesus he would give him all this if he would bow down and worship him. Jesus said, "Go, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only."

Satan's temptation was that Jesus need not die on the cross. He need not suffer. Satan himself would give the world over to Jesus if he would worship him. I would think that would be a great temptation.

Hebrews 2:18 says, "For since he himself was tempted in that which he has suffered. He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."

When Jesus was being beaten, whipped and spit upon, it must have been a temptation to get angry, to retaliate, to leave earth and go back to heaven where all is love and peace. When I go to heaven, I want to hear what it was like for Jesus to be a man. I want to know exactly how he was tempted.

"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered. And having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation." Hebrews 5:8,9