Lately I have been drawn into the book of Hebrews, specifically Chapter 11, and I must admit, it’s kinda shaken me to the core. At first I was mesmerized with Enoch. A man who gets 4 verses in the Old Testament and yet is placed among Noah and Abraham. But now go ahead and take a pause to read the Chapter, going all the way through Hebrews 12: 2.
Did you read it? No? Yeah, I didn’t think so, so seriously pull out your Bible and read it, cause if you don’t do it now you’ll forget or have to get up in the middle, so you might as well go ahead and do it.
So? What do you see? What do all these men and women have in common? Some are kings, some are leaders, but they all have one general thing alike, besides of course having faith. They DID something. Not one of the figures mentioned here told God how much they loved and believed in Him and then went about their daily business; they DID something! God has not called us to be stagnant in our faith, He has not called us to fill ourselves on what is easy and never seek out the greatness He has to offer for our lives. It’s like sitting around eating only Ramen noodles for the rest of your life, when there’s so much more out there. Are they filling? Yes. Are they tasty? Kinda. But is that really what you want to be fed on? And are you content with those around you only getting that same sustenance every day? I once heard a preacher say that we are all given the same commands, but different callings. If we were all called to overseas missions, well, there’d be no one to help back home. If we were all called to GO than who would be the support. If we all liked black olives as much as I do, there would be a shortage and then I wouldn’t get that tasty treat. We all like different things, excel at different tasks; some of us may go, and some of us may stay, but we must all DO just as we must all eat. Think of it this way. If we truly believe that we can only receive salvation through Christ, if we believe that the only way to true fulfillment and happiness in this life is by faith in our Lord Jesus, that real sustenance comes from the bread of His word, then what the heck are we standing around for? We got work to do. In our country, in our community, but first of all, in ourselves. I thought this would be a year to help others, but I have learned you can’t help others and give them the food they need until you deal with your own mess and feed yourself.
So I am begging you, don’t buy into this bite-sized candy bar faith that our culture has so cheaply sustained us on. Sweet for the moment, but always manageable. Desire more! We are talking KING SIZED! King-sized prayers, King-sized works, King-sized faith! I am saying let’s have a goal that is completely beyond our grasp, to do things that we cannot possibly do on our own strength. Let us rely on God, be dependent on Him. Is that not what these men and women in Hebrews 11 did? Abraham begins to sacrifice his son, knowing full well that he himself could not raise him from the dead. The Israelites walked around Jericho playing music…. what kind of battle plan is that? Honestly, it’s one that completely depends on the presence of God. So let us do the same. Let us depend on His presence. Let us put ourselves in situations where we will fall on our face without Him. Let us live by faith.
