“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
The finish of the Olympic marathon is a fantastic spectacle. After running most of the 26.2 miles through the streets of the chosen city, the athletes enter the stadium for a final lap. As the leader bursts through the tunnel onto the track, the crowd in the stands goes wild with excitement, encouragement, and admiration. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
The faithful from Hebrews 11 are not exhibited in a quiet, orderly museum but are plastered on rowdy bleacher walls. As we travel round the track, we’re reminded of their triumphs, troubles, successes, and struggles. Our faces reflect their faith. Their stories inspire our feet.
When you feel like giving up, remember those who’ve given all. “In your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding blood”(Heb. 12:4). When you feel like you can’t keep up, remember that it’s not about pace but about perseverance. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength…They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint”(Isaiah 40:31). You are not blazing a brand new trail. Many have gone before you, and others are coming behind you. A great cloud of witnesses applauds your every step—their lives strong proof of God’s power and loud evidence of His grace.
Just as the writer of Hebrews didn’t have time to cite details about Gideon, Samson, David, and Samuel(Heb. 11:32), this page doesn’t hold space to describe Martin Luther, William Tyndale, Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, Oswald Chambers, Corrie ten Boom, Nate Saint, Billy Graham, your grandmother, and the guy at work who loves well and lives right. In print or in person they are rooting for you and urging you on. Look closely at the ones already across the line. Listen carefully to those in the next lane. Let God’s faithfulness motivate you to keep moving, and let the fans’ excitement increase your endurance.
Run. And keep running. The crowd is cheering like crazy, and the One clapping loudest has scars in His hands.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Swing of Faith
“Whose weakness was turned to strength.” Hebrews 11:34
Every summer, at Cooperstown, New York, a chosen few of baseball’s elite are inducted into the Hall of Fame. During the ceremony, attendees are regaled with outstanding facts and feats of the selected athletes. Homers, hits, runs batted in, slugging percentage, and batting average are stats shared about those picked for their prowess at the plate. For the ones hoping and trying to follow in their footsteps, just listening to the numbers can be overwhelming and intimidating. A bit like reading Hebrews 11.
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and the list goes on and on. This Hall of Faith is filled with feats and facts of Godly men and women who lived so well we feel we could never attain such greatness. Through faith, these heroes “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword”(Heb. 11:33-34). By this time in the passage, we’re surely despairing of our failures and feeling inadequate in our faith, but let us not lose heart, for just as many of those enshrined at Cooperstown started out as second-string Little Leaguers, each of our Hebrews Heroes started out small and struck-out often along the way.
Noah was found drunk and naked in his tent. Abraham, scared for his own life, passed his wife off as his sister and let Pharaoh marry her. (It was only a half-lie because she really was his half sister, but the whole deception made a big mess.) Joseph bragged about his dreams, Moses got mad and disobeyed, David committed adultery and murdered to cover it up, and this list goes on and on as well. So how did those with so many failures end up with such great faith? One short phrase in the chapter holds the key to their success and ours also. “Whose weakness was turned to strength”(Heb. 11:34). None of us are strong on our own. We are frail, fragile, and faithless. We may try and try again, but we end up falling and failing. But when God, in His grace, reveals to us His truth, He takes our flaws and our faults, forgives our sins, and fills us with faith. “By grace you are saved through faith--and this not from yourselves—it is a gift of God”(Eph. 2:8). By His power, God turns our weakness into strength, and our reliance on Him becomes a force of great might.
The people listed in Hebrews were far from perfect—they failed many times not only before but also after they put their trust in God. But though not faultless, they were faithful— confessing their sin and coming back to the God whom they believed. Our weakness will be turned to strength as we take Him at His word and follow His ways—again and again.
Don’t be dejected as you walk back to the dugout.
You can’t strike-out when you swing in faith.
Every summer, at Cooperstown, New York, a chosen few of baseball’s elite are inducted into the Hall of Fame. During the ceremony, attendees are regaled with outstanding facts and feats of the selected athletes. Homers, hits, runs batted in, slugging percentage, and batting average are stats shared about those picked for their prowess at the plate. For the ones hoping and trying to follow in their footsteps, just listening to the numbers can be overwhelming and intimidating. A bit like reading Hebrews 11.
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and the list goes on and on. This Hall of Faith is filled with feats and facts of Godly men and women who lived so well we feel we could never attain such greatness. Through faith, these heroes “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword”(Heb. 11:33-34). By this time in the passage, we’re surely despairing of our failures and feeling inadequate in our faith, but let us not lose heart, for just as many of those enshrined at Cooperstown started out as second-string Little Leaguers, each of our Hebrews Heroes started out small and struck-out often along the way.
Noah was found drunk and naked in his tent. Abraham, scared for his own life, passed his wife off as his sister and let Pharaoh marry her. (It was only a half-lie because she really was his half sister, but the whole deception made a big mess.) Joseph bragged about his dreams, Moses got mad and disobeyed, David committed adultery and murdered to cover it up, and this list goes on and on as well. So how did those with so many failures end up with such great faith? One short phrase in the chapter holds the key to their success and ours also. “Whose weakness was turned to strength”(Heb. 11:34). None of us are strong on our own. We are frail, fragile, and faithless. We may try and try again, but we end up falling and failing. But when God, in His grace, reveals to us His truth, He takes our flaws and our faults, forgives our sins, and fills us with faith. “By grace you are saved through faith--and this not from yourselves—it is a gift of God”(Eph. 2:8). By His power, God turns our weakness into strength, and our reliance on Him becomes a force of great might.
The people listed in Hebrews were far from perfect—they failed many times not only before but also after they put their trust in God. But though not faultless, they were faithful— confessing their sin and coming back to the God whom they believed. Our weakness will be turned to strength as we take Him at His word and follow His ways—again and again.
Don’t be dejected as you walk back to the dugout.
You can’t strike-out when you swing in faith.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Faith Plans A Funeral
“By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.” Hebrews 11:22
By his life, Joseph said much about faith, but at his death, he shouted the definition.
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” and Joseph was both sure and certain that Egypt wouldn’t be the permanent residence of his relatives. Way back, God had told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years in a foreign country before God punished their oppressors and rescued His people. Joseph was so secure in God’s promise and so excited about God’s plans that he didn’t want to be left behind. If he couldn’t make it in person, at last part of him could take the trip, so he “spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.”
When Joseph spoke his wishes, life was good for the Israelites. Joseph had been Egypt’s rescue hero, so many assumed Pharaoh’s favor would never end. But Joseph believed God’s words to his great-grandfather and knew that such would not be so. His instructions were proof of a faith that looked past his few years into God’s glorious future. In the coming days of sorrow and slavery, of bricks and beatings, Joseph’s words were a lifeline of hope the people could hold onto even if things weren’t looking up in their lifetime.
His directions were passed down through generations, and when deliverance day finally arrived, in the midst of the joyous but hasty exodus, someone made sure to grab what was left of Joseph. The box held more than a bunch of bones. The clunks and clatter were evidence of a heart that took God at His word and believed His word. For forty years someone carried the Joseph’s casket through the wilderness—a constant reminder that real faith never goes unrewarded. If the windows of Paradise were open to earth, surely Joseph smiled as his bones were finally buried in the Promised Land(Joshua 24:32), and hopefully those who heaped dirt in the hole paused to ponder the faith of a great man in his much greater God.
God’s speaks often in Scripture of the glorious future ahead for those who are His, and we can hang onto His words with hope. Don’t let anything rattle your bones—or your heart. A better place is just over the horizon, so have faith in life—and in death.
No one will need to carry your casket.
God will bring you to His Promised Land—in person.
By his life, Joseph said much about faith, but at his death, he shouted the definition.
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” and Joseph was both sure and certain that Egypt wouldn’t be the permanent residence of his relatives. Way back, God had told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years in a foreign country before God punished their oppressors and rescued His people. Joseph was so secure in God’s promise and so excited about God’s plans that he didn’t want to be left behind. If he couldn’t make it in person, at last part of him could take the trip, so he “spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.”
When Joseph spoke his wishes, life was good for the Israelites. Joseph had been Egypt’s rescue hero, so many assumed Pharaoh’s favor would never end. But Joseph believed God’s words to his great-grandfather and knew that such would not be so. His instructions were proof of a faith that looked past his few years into God’s glorious future. In the coming days of sorrow and slavery, of bricks and beatings, Joseph’s words were a lifeline of hope the people could hold onto even if things weren’t looking up in their lifetime.
His directions were passed down through generations, and when deliverance day finally arrived, in the midst of the joyous but hasty exodus, someone made sure to grab what was left of Joseph. The box held more than a bunch of bones. The clunks and clatter were evidence of a heart that took God at His word and believed His word. For forty years someone carried the Joseph’s casket through the wilderness—a constant reminder that real faith never goes unrewarded. If the windows of Paradise were open to earth, surely Joseph smiled as his bones were finally buried in the Promised Land(Joshua 24:32), and hopefully those who heaped dirt in the hole paused to ponder the faith of a great man in his much greater God.
God’s speaks often in Scripture of the glorious future ahead for those who are His, and we can hang onto His words with hope. Don’t let anything rattle your bones—or your heart. A better place is just over the horizon, so have faith in life—and in death.
No one will need to carry your casket.
God will bring you to His Promised Land—in person.
Monday, May 9, 2011
For Sure
“By faith Abraham…” Hebrews 11:8,11,17
Abraham didn’t know where he was moving when God commanded relocation, but he knew for sure God had called him to leave, so he put the house on the market and headed “to the land I will show you”(Gen. 12:1). He was content to live in tents the rest of his life because he believed God was building a permanent home much bigger and better than anything he could find here. Faith needed no forwarding address before it packed the U-Haul.
Abraham didn’t know how God would give him and his wife a child of their own, for she was infertile and he was “as good as dead”(Heb. 11:12), but he knew for sure God had spoken about their son, so ten years before the baby was born, he obeyed and changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, implying that this “princess” would become the mother of many kings. Faith needed no positive pregnancy test before it painted the nursery.
Abraham didn’t know why God commanded him to sacrifice his only son, but he knew for sure God would provide for what He had promised, so “Abraham bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood”(Gen. 22:9). Though nothing about this scenario made any sense this side of heaven, “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead”(Heb. 11:19), so he raised the knife. Faith needed no explanation before it offered the ultimate.
Our God is the God of unknown destinations, unexplainable delivery rooms, and seemingly unfulfilled dreams. He doesn’t expect us to always understand, but He expects us to always believe.
Faith isn’t being for sure of the what.
Faith is being for sure of the Who.
Abraham didn’t know where he was moving when God commanded relocation, but he knew for sure God had called him to leave, so he put the house on the market and headed “to the land I will show you”(Gen. 12:1). He was content to live in tents the rest of his life because he believed God was building a permanent home much bigger and better than anything he could find here. Faith needed no forwarding address before it packed the U-Haul.
Abraham didn’t know how God would give him and his wife a child of their own, for she was infertile and he was “as good as dead”(Heb. 11:12), but he knew for sure God had spoken about their son, so ten years before the baby was born, he obeyed and changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, implying that this “princess” would become the mother of many kings. Faith needed no positive pregnancy test before it painted the nursery.
Abraham didn’t know why God commanded him to sacrifice his only son, but he knew for sure God would provide for what He had promised, so “Abraham bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood”(Gen. 22:9). Though nothing about this scenario made any sense this side of heaven, “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead”(Heb. 11:19), so he raised the knife. Faith needed no explanation before it offered the ultimate.
Our God is the God of unknown destinations, unexplainable delivery rooms, and seemingly unfulfilled dreams. He doesn’t expect us to always understand, but He expects us to always believe.
Faith isn’t being for sure of the what.
Faith is being for sure of the Who.
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Boat of Belief
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark.” Hebrews 11:7
If the people on earth had seen rain before the flood, they hadn’t seen much—not enough to make them think that the guy down the street building the giant boat in his backyard hadn’t lost his mind. But God had spoken, and Noah was sure He meant what He said. Noah didn’t need to see the flood to have faith it was coming. “When warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, [he] built an ark”(Heb. 11:7).
While Noah believed, the rest of the world blew God off. They discounted the truth that this “preacher of righteousness”(2 Pet. 2:5) declared with both his sermons and his saw. Day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, the boat got bigger. For decades the neighbors were awakened by the pounding of hammers (and we think a contractor is slow if he takes six months!). Tree after tree after tree was downed and dragged to the construction site, and the hardware store couldn’t keep enough sealant in stock. This triple-decker floating zoo, 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high, would be a refuge for the eight in Noah’s family during the forty day flood which would “destroy all life under the heavens”(Gen. 6:17).
Surely there were many taunts, sneers, and ridicules from a corrupt and violent world with no regard for God. No one on earth understood, but no on earth could distract him or deter him. Noah built the ark, and when all others gasped their final breaths, Noah and his family floated in safety.
That’s what faith will do. Faith will get you ready for the rising water, and faith will keep you floating in the flood. The world will never again be destroyed by rain(Gen. 9:15), but the daily deluge of troubles and sorrows often feels deep enough to drown in. Keep more than your chin up. “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials”(2 Pet. 2:9). His ark of salvation will never sink. In His grace, we will sail in safety till we come to rest on His holy mountain(Gen. 8:4, Heb. 12:22).
Believe and climb aboard.
If the people on earth had seen rain before the flood, they hadn’t seen much—not enough to make them think that the guy down the street building the giant boat in his backyard hadn’t lost his mind. But God had spoken, and Noah was sure He meant what He said. Noah didn’t need to see the flood to have faith it was coming. “When warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, [he] built an ark”(Heb. 11:7).
While Noah believed, the rest of the world blew God off. They discounted the truth that this “preacher of righteousness”(2 Pet. 2:5) declared with both his sermons and his saw. Day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, the boat got bigger. For decades the neighbors were awakened by the pounding of hammers (and we think a contractor is slow if he takes six months!). Tree after tree after tree was downed and dragged to the construction site, and the hardware store couldn’t keep enough sealant in stock. This triple-decker floating zoo, 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high, would be a refuge for the eight in Noah’s family during the forty day flood which would “destroy all life under the heavens”(Gen. 6:17).
Surely there were many taunts, sneers, and ridicules from a corrupt and violent world with no regard for God. No one on earth understood, but no on earth could distract him or deter him. Noah built the ark, and when all others gasped their final breaths, Noah and his family floated in safety.
That’s what faith will do. Faith will get you ready for the rising water, and faith will keep you floating in the flood. The world will never again be destroyed by rain(Gen. 9:15), but the daily deluge of troubles and sorrows often feels deep enough to drown in. Keep more than your chin up. “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials”(2 Pet. 2:9). His ark of salvation will never sink. In His grace, we will sail in safety till we come to rest on His holy mountain(Gen. 8:4, Heb. 12:22).
Believe and climb aboard.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Vanishing
“By faith Enoch was taken from this life.” Hebrews 11:5
Enoch was a neat guy. The seventh man down the line from Adam didn’t hang around for very long (at least not by the standard of the day), but his few years left a big mark. Here’s what we know. While many men in those days waited until after the century mark to start a family, Enoch got going early. His first kid, Methuselah, was born when he was only sixty-five. Becoming a dad often changes a man, and Enoch may have been no exception, for we’re told that “after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters”(Gen. 5:22). One day when he was 365, Enoch left his house and didn’t come home. The King James Version says it best. “Enoch walked with God, and he was not”(Gen. 5:24). Not what?? Not on earth, “for God took him”(Gen 5:24).
WHAT?!?!? Surely his friends and family wondered the same. Certain he had lost his keys, lost his way, or lost his mind in a mid-life crisis, they sent out a search party, but Enoch “could not be found because God had taken him away, so that he did not experience death”(Heb. 11:5).
Why? Because “before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God”(Heb. 11:5). How did a mortal man please the Almighty God? By believing “that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”(Heb. 11:6). “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” and, “by faith, Enoch was taken from this life”(Heb. 11:5-6). Why God chose to reward such faith with such a finale will not be known until eternity, but Enoch’s no-death departure is an undeniable reminder that inexplicable events often occur when we believe in an astonishing God. And when we walk closely with Him.
Friends are rarely silent as they stroll. They talk, listen, laugh, share, sympathize, and support. By grace through faith, we are friends with God, and we can talk, listen, laugh, learn, and love as we walk through life with Him. God doesn’t promise us that faith means no funeral (for only two of many have never passed through death’s door), but for those who are His, faith means that we need not fear to turn the knob.
I think the old preacher got the story right:
One day God and Enoch were out for a walk. As the sun began to set, God said, “Enoch, we’re a lot closer to My house than yours. Why don’t you just come on home with Me?”
Unlike Enoch, we don’t have centuries to please God on earth, so delight Him today by walking in faith. You never know what might happen.
Enoch was a neat guy. The seventh man down the line from Adam didn’t hang around for very long (at least not by the standard of the day), but his few years left a big mark. Here’s what we know. While many men in those days waited until after the century mark to start a family, Enoch got going early. His first kid, Methuselah, was born when he was only sixty-five. Becoming a dad often changes a man, and Enoch may have been no exception, for we’re told that “after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters”(Gen. 5:22). One day when he was 365, Enoch left his house and didn’t come home. The King James Version says it best. “Enoch walked with God, and he was not”(Gen. 5:24). Not what?? Not on earth, “for God took him”(Gen 5:24).
WHAT?!?!? Surely his friends and family wondered the same. Certain he had lost his keys, lost his way, or lost his mind in a mid-life crisis, they sent out a search party, but Enoch “could not be found because God had taken him away, so that he did not experience death”(Heb. 11:5).
Why? Because “before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God”(Heb. 11:5). How did a mortal man please the Almighty God? By believing “that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”(Heb. 11:6). “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” and, “by faith, Enoch was taken from this life”(Heb. 11:5-6). Why God chose to reward such faith with such a finale will not be known until eternity, but Enoch’s no-death departure is an undeniable reminder that inexplicable events often occur when we believe in an astonishing God. And when we walk closely with Him.
Friends are rarely silent as they stroll. They talk, listen, laugh, share, sympathize, and support. By grace through faith, we are friends with God, and we can talk, listen, laugh, learn, and love as we walk through life with Him. God doesn’t promise us that faith means no funeral (for only two of many have never passed through death’s door), but for those who are His, faith means that we need not fear to turn the knob.
I think the old preacher got the story right:
One day God and Enoch were out for a walk. As the sun began to set, God said, “Enoch, we’re a lot closer to My house than yours. Why don’t you just come on home with Me?”
Unlike Enoch, we don’t have centuries to please God on earth, so delight Him today by walking in faith. You never know what might happen.
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