Tag: Faithfulness

Morning Musing: Hebrew 11:20-22

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“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When we think about faith and having faith in God, we often think about grand, heroic acts pursued to God’s glory. After all, consider the stories of the various examples of faith to which the author of Hebrews has referred so far in this chapter. Enoch didn’t die. Abraham went on a long journey. Noah built an ark. If we encounter enough examples like this, eventually we can develop the idea that faith is something for super followers of God to exercise, but not necessarily average folks like us. This next collection of faith references brings things back down to earth. Let’s talk about some of Israel’s saltier patriarchs this morning, and how laudable faith can be mundane too.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 11:13-16

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“These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. But they now desire a better place – a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I enjoy traveling. We don’t do it often, but there’s just something exciting about going somewhere, especially somewhere new. Still, as much fun as it may be, the whole time I’m gone, I am surpassingly aware of one very important fact: I’m not at home. As a result, even though I will adapt some to whatever my current environment may be, I am only ever going to go so far. The reason for this is simple: I’m not staying long. I will eventually return home. For all the ways I may adapt, then, I don’t want to make myself less fit for home by the effort, so I will only ever go so far. Otherwise, I will intentionally stick out as I live with home in mind. This is, of course, a metaphor for our life in Christ. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Jeremiah 5:22

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“‘Do you not fear me?’ This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Do you not tremble before me, the one who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, an enduring barrier that it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When was the last time you played in the waves? Can I suggest you do the next time you get the chance? I got the opportunity recently when we were able to slip out of town for a few days on what was our first real family vacation all together since before Covid. This trip to the beach happened to coincide with boys who were finally big enough and interested enough to want to play in the waves which gave me a nice excuse. There’s just something about floating in the ocean that makes me get a little more reflective than usual. This morning I thought I’d share some thoughts I had while I was bobbing in the surf.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 11:11-12

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“By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. Therefore, from one man – in fact, from one as good as dead – came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

If you are at all like me, then your faith journey after Jesus has not been a smooth affair. Personally, by God’s grace, I haven’t had the bumps in the road that many people have had, but there have nonetheless been ups and downs along the way. Some of these have felt like walking along rolling hills. Others have seemed more like mountain climbing. Yet where I have stuck with faith, the end points of the many small journeys which compose the big one have consistently been better than not. As we dig into the next snapshot of Abraham’s life with the author of Hebrews, we are going to see the one that was most like a rollercoaster for him and Sarah. Let’s strap in and see how it went.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 11:7

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“By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Bill Cosby used to be funny. Well, that’s not totally fair. I could still listen to his old stand-up routines and laugh until I cry. But the revelations of the real character of the man who used to be called “America’s dad,” made it a whole lot harder to engage with anything he did in the past. Still, I listened to him so much growing up, I have much of his old material memorized. I just about wore out those old records. And, yes, I do mean records. But my favorite routine was always the one about Noah. Maby it was because it was (loosely) based on a Bible story, but Cosby’s “Noah” act always made me laugh the hardest. What made it so funny was the fact that it is how many of us imagine Noah actually responding to God’s command to build a big boat. Let’s talk this morning about Noah, faith, and the path to righteousness.

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