Hebrews 11: 1-16
FOCUS VERSE
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. -Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Our 14-year-old son has big feet. When shod in his chunky, padded basketball boots, his feet seem enormous. Unfortunately, the rest of him hasn't yet caught up with his feet, and as a basketball player he is distressed by this. He wants to be at least 6' 4"! Friends tell us that the big feet are a good sign, that one day he will grow into his feet.
Our life as Christians is often like that. Many promises in scripture we have yet to "grow into." Until that happens, we take them on faith. The Bible speaks of our salvation in Christ as being signed and sealed but not yet delivered in full. The Old Testament talks glowingly of all the good things that will follow godly people, yet we see the godly suffer the same as everyone else.
But we see that scripture's promises are true when we look at them in the light of eternity--when all wrongs will be righted and God will make everything new. In the meantime, God has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of these things. (See 2 Cor. 1:22.) So we "live by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7, NIV)--knowing that our God will fulfill the promise of salvation.
~Colette Willliams (South Australia, Australia)
PRAYER
Lord, give us the grace to trust your promises and not what we see or don't see. Amen.
THOT:
Regardless of what we see, God is working to fulfill scripture's promise.