Faith

This devotion spoke to me here in the middle of the night. I felt I should post it. Perhaps it will encourage someone else.

“The writer to the Hebrews has gifted us here with an eloquent discourse of faith – what faith looks like and how faith acts. He goes on to highlight the lives of believers who have exhibited great faith in their lives and with their deaths. The opening statement seems conflicted, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” When I ask my husband if we can friends over for dinner on a Thursday evening, I am looking for definite answer. If he says, “I hope so,” I would be left in limbo. If he says that he is sure Thursday night is fine, then I can act.

In Hebrews 11, we are told that faith in God is being sure of what we hope for. That is the reality of the Christian life. We know whom we have believed in, even though we have never seen Him. Our hope is in Christ, and because of that it is a sure thing.

Hope on its own has no power. I can hope to wake up one morning and be 3 inches taller than the night before, but that hope would not serve me well. Hope depends on what it is linked to.

Our hope in Christ is surer than anything we can see and experience on this earth, and we arrive at that place through faith. Faith is a LIVING THING. It is our lifestyle. It is a commitment to walk in the footsteps of Christ not knowing what lies ahead, but knowing that He is with us, therefore we can take the next step.

Our walk with Christ at times takes us through dark places where it seems as if the sun will never shine again, and we may well feel abandoned. Faith calls us to live above what we feel to what we KNOW to be true. Christ staked His life on it so we can walk as those before us and blaze a trail for those who come behind.” – Sheila Walsh

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Hebrews 11:1-3)