Faith Up

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

FAITH UP

Heb 11:32-40

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

NIV

All of this just cannot be broken up, it is all too much one thought, one idea, one comment that is so awful it needs to be kept in one single devotion. We think we have it bad, when we have an off day, when things are not going the way we planned, but is it possible to even imagine how this people lived and died? Some of them had exceptionally great moments and some had extremely horrific moments, but they all were commended for their faith. Would not that make a wonderful epitaph on our tomb stones, “Here lays a person commended by God for their faith”. And with this kind of history of the events in their lives, should we not also expect something similar? Why should we accept a mundane life, just living without the  power of God? Why should we live in the weakness of our flesh, when God desires to do so much more in us? Are we afraid of what happened to the others? Do we think we will be sawed in half, jeered, flogged, chained, stoned, or put to death by a sword? Do we think we will have to wander, destitute, persecuted and mistreated? Are we more concerned about be worthy of this world not be worthy of us? Have we not seen before that it might be necessary to exercise our faith in order for it to become greater? We need to start really believing God for a miracle. We need to really start living by faith, living out our faith, and being people faith. Jesus said that he tells is the truth, that anyone who has faith in Him will do what He had been doing. That we will do even greater things than he did, because He has gone to Father, and He will do whatever we ask in His name, so that He may bring glory to the Father. Jesus said that we may ask Him for anything in His name and He will do it. That is faith, no that is power in faith. What are we waiting for? Do we not truly believe? God is waiting for us to stand up and be counted among those who He commends for their faith. Life is not worth the living without faith. Where is faith? Stand up, speak up, faith up!