The writer of Hebrews defines faith as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” (11:1,2) The writer would also say later, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (11:6) In Hebrews 11 we are treated with an extensive, but not inclusive, list of men and women who truly were “Heroes of Faith.” These men and women faithfully and willingly walked with God when no one else would. They believed in God, and they were sure that God would provide for them just as he promised.
In Hebrews 11:7, the writer tells us of Noah: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
If you have time, brush up on the story of Noah by reading all of Genesis 6. Mankind had become so selfish and sinful that God’s heart was literally broken. God is love! God created the human race so that he could share this love. Many of us, at some point or another, know exactly what it feels like to love someone with all your heart only to be crushed when you realize that they do not love you back. It is devastating. Humanity had become utterly sinful. Our sin is destructive and devastating. It separates us from the presence of God (Isaiah 59). We had become so evil that God’s heart hurt and he wished that he had never created us. He was completely ready to wipe us from the face of the earth. Jesus’ interpretation of this time in history is found in Matthew 24:38, 39: “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” Everyone in that day was living by the philosophy, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow will take care of itself.” What if there is no tomorrow? You see, sin is not breaking God’s law; it is breaking God’s heart.
Just when God was feeling completely rejected, he caught a glimmer of hope in the life of Noah. We are told that Noah was a righteous, blameless man, and he walked with God. One of the things that caught me in this story was the fact that God had lost hope. Many times we don’t think of God as one who is capable of losing all hope. However, when we look closely at the story, we see that this is the case. Mankind had become so selfish and sinful, that God was ready to wipe them, and all other creatures, off the face of the earth. He obviously felt defeated. He obviously felt that there was no way that humanity would ever live completely for him. And just when he was about to follow through on his plan, he saw this man named Noah. Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah’s righteousness was a reaffirmation of God’s love and patience. When God saw Noah, it reminded him of all the reasons why he continues to love us and wait on us. Noah’s faith and perseverance had given God hope.
Just like Noah, we must walk with God when others will not! We must believe and not doubt. Noah believed, trusted that the flood would come just as God said that it would. What are we sure of? What are we certain of, even though we cannot see it? Jesus promises us a resurrection. We have not yet seen it, but in faith we believe it is coming. We believe it is coming because we believe in Jesus who died for it. Remember, in faith we believe he exists and that he will reward those who earnestly seek him. We continue to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, even when others may not follow us, because we believe that our faithfulness will be rewarded in our resurrection and eternal home in heaven. Life lived in the eternal presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even if we are standing alone, we must never believe that all hope is lost. Our faithfulness gives hope and assurance to God.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Looking Forward: Never Back
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, “This one thing I do: Forgetting what his behind and straining toward what it ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
In many ways, Paul writes this letter showing his brothers and sisters in the faith how they might experience joy in the midst of adversity. A key to finding joy in life is to forget what lies behind so that we can truly live for what lies ahead. It is hard for us to focus on the future when we are carrying around the burdens of our past. Think about an athlete running a race. The track is laid out in a circle. If the runner is looking over his shoulder from the moment the race begins, he will never know when to turn through the curve and he will eventually run off the track. That same runner will also never be able to run his best race if he is loaded down with weights.
Paul encourages us to throw off the weights of the past so that we can run a better race now. Paul encourages us to forget what lies behind (live forward) so that we can focus on our future. He knows that he is not perfect: “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on.” This reminds me of Paul’s words in chapter 1 and verse 6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” We will not obtain the prize for which God has called us heavenward until the day that Jesus Christ returns. However, the joy in the Christian life is living with the confidence that it is already there, secured by Christ, waiting for us the day he comes to take us home.
We can break the power of the past by living for the future. We must surrender our past to the cross of Christ. We do not completely erase those moments from our memory because that would be impossible. What we must do is release those moments so that they do not consume our thoughts and rule our hearts. We must release those moments so that they do not manipulate our lives any longer. Our past can be either the lead weight that holds us back, or the inspiration that speeds us into our future with God.
Paul also writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, our Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
Another key to finding joy in life is to keep our mind on heavenly things. Paul cautions the Philippian believers that there are some who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their minds are on earthly things; their destiny is destruction; their god is their stomach; and their glory is in their shame. We must become allies of the cross of Christ. Our mind must be on heavenly things; our destiny is perfection; our god is the only true God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe; and our glory will be in the resurrection.
We live our lives focused on our promised resurrection. Paul reassured the saints in Rome that if we are united with Christ in his death (through our baptism), then we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. That is something worth living for! What on this earth could bring anyone more joy than to know that when they die it is not the end of their journey, but the beginning. As believers in Christ, we need not fear death, for it has no mastery over us. Because we have released our past to the cross of Christ, and Jesus has washed us clean, Jesus will return and we will participate in the resurrection.
We live our lives focused on our promised eternity. Jesus himself told his disciples that his Father’s house had many rooms, and he was going to prepare a room for them. And he added that if he was going to go to the trouble of preparing a room for them, he would certainly come back to get them. We are not promised anything on this earth. If there is one thing that life in this world has taught us, it is that there are no guarantees. That is one thing that changes when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are guaranteed a resurrection. We are guaranteed that life after the resurrection will be eternal and lived in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. All we have to do is get there and check in! How much would our lives and attitudes change if we chose not to be weighed down by the burdens of our past, and we instead decided to rejoice and look forward to our guaranteed future?
Life lived in the past is not life at all! Living in the past, haunted by the things we cannot change, will certainly rob us of our joy and kill our witness as followers of Christ. To achieve and experience true joy in this life, we must be people that are always looking forward: never back!
In many ways, Paul writes this letter showing his brothers and sisters in the faith how they might experience joy in the midst of adversity. A key to finding joy in life is to forget what lies behind so that we can truly live for what lies ahead. It is hard for us to focus on the future when we are carrying around the burdens of our past. Think about an athlete running a race. The track is laid out in a circle. If the runner is looking over his shoulder from the moment the race begins, he will never know when to turn through the curve and he will eventually run off the track. That same runner will also never be able to run his best race if he is loaded down with weights.
Paul encourages us to throw off the weights of the past so that we can run a better race now. Paul encourages us to forget what lies behind (live forward) so that we can focus on our future. He knows that he is not perfect: “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on.” This reminds me of Paul’s words in chapter 1 and verse 6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” We will not obtain the prize for which God has called us heavenward until the day that Jesus Christ returns. However, the joy in the Christian life is living with the confidence that it is already there, secured by Christ, waiting for us the day he comes to take us home.
We can break the power of the past by living for the future. We must surrender our past to the cross of Christ. We do not completely erase those moments from our memory because that would be impossible. What we must do is release those moments so that they do not consume our thoughts and rule our hearts. We must release those moments so that they do not manipulate our lives any longer. Our past can be either the lead weight that holds us back, or the inspiration that speeds us into our future with God.
Paul also writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, our Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
Another key to finding joy in life is to keep our mind on heavenly things. Paul cautions the Philippian believers that there are some who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their minds are on earthly things; their destiny is destruction; their god is their stomach; and their glory is in their shame. We must become allies of the cross of Christ. Our mind must be on heavenly things; our destiny is perfection; our god is the only true God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe; and our glory will be in the resurrection.
We live our lives focused on our promised resurrection. Paul reassured the saints in Rome that if we are united with Christ in his death (through our baptism), then we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. That is something worth living for! What on this earth could bring anyone more joy than to know that when they die it is not the end of their journey, but the beginning. As believers in Christ, we need not fear death, for it has no mastery over us. Because we have released our past to the cross of Christ, and Jesus has washed us clean, Jesus will return and we will participate in the resurrection.
We live our lives focused on our promised eternity. Jesus himself told his disciples that his Father’s house had many rooms, and he was going to prepare a room for them. And he added that if he was going to go to the trouble of preparing a room for them, he would certainly come back to get them. We are not promised anything on this earth. If there is one thing that life in this world has taught us, it is that there are no guarantees. That is one thing that changes when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are guaranteed a resurrection. We are guaranteed that life after the resurrection will be eternal and lived in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. All we have to do is get there and check in! How much would our lives and attitudes change if we chose not to be weighed down by the burdens of our past, and we instead decided to rejoice and look forward to our guaranteed future?
Life lived in the past is not life at all! Living in the past, haunted by the things we cannot change, will certainly rob us of our joy and kill our witness as followers of Christ. To achieve and experience true joy in this life, we must be people that are always looking forward: never back!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
