the who, not the how, of creation

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. [Hebrews 11:3]

I remember that Sunday in the early 80s when I was teaching Junior High Sunday School. I asked the kids if they believed that science supported the idea that God created the world. Most thought that it did. I pointed them to this verse in the bible and began to discuss the idea of faith and creation.

Some adamantly hold to a literal view of Genesis and to a view where the earth is about 6,000 years old. Other see the creation story as an archetypal one meant to inform us about the nature of our beginnings. Even so, each view teaches us that all things visible came from the Invisible.

Whether in an instant or over millions of years the message is the same. We all may not agree on the "how" of creation but we all agree on the "Who" of creation. By faith we discern that we are not random and purposeless beings. Our lives are ennobled by faith in the God of Genesis.

Dear Lord, please open our minds and our hearts to the message of creation.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
No comments:

unseen realities

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of realities not seen. [Hebrews 11:1 TLV]

There has always been a desire for evidence of things unseen. We search the stars watching and listening for proof of life beyond our planet. Movies abound imagining life in a galaxy far far away. We are all captivated by the thought of discovery. And sometimes we hope of such things.

So it is not unusual for the scriptures to speak of realities not seen. In a sense life is all about things invisible. All about the unseen forces of love and hate. How these unseen things manifest among friends, families and nations. In truth the things we see are often a mirror of what is unseen.

Faith is both a belief in, and an evidence of, realities not seen. A person of faith embraces these invisible realities because they have been touched by them. They have evidenced God working in their life and in the world. Their hope is tangible because they have experienced God themselves.

We arise in faith Lord declaring that you are Lord of all that is seen and unseen.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
No comments:

burning bush moments

... the just shall live by faith [Hebrews 10:38 NKJV]

The scriptures are replete with stories about men and women who exemplified a life of faith. People who believed in God in the darkest of times. Courageous ones like Moses who rejected the safety of Midian for the perils of Egypt. Or how Jacob became Israel as he wrestled with God.

Such people remind me that the journey of faith is lived by people who know God. Moses, for example, was happy to live in Midian until he had an encounter with the Lord. Something was born inside of him at the burning bush. He was never the same. His life took on a new direction with a new purpose.

It reminds me that living by faith often begins with a burning bush moment. A spiritual encounter. A surrender to the will of God. Such was my experience in April 1976. I sensed a divine presence as I closed my eyes to pray that day. It changed me forever and enabled me to live by faith.

Once again Lord. We close our eyes. We pray. And we return to our burning bush moment.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
No comments:

enduring with a confident trust

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. ... Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. [Hebrews 10:35,36 NLT]

Whenever I hear the word 'trust' I remember that I am only trusting God when I am not in control. So, in light of these verses, I am thinking about my need to be confident in those times that life seems so out of control. In truth, such times are opportunities to become more confident in God.

So what should we have confidence in as we patiently endure? As Paul writes to the Romans, we should be confident that God is working in dark times. He is causing things that seem to be out of control to work for our good. And he is causing them to grow us into the image of Jesus.

And as we become more like Jesus we find ourselves doing God's will in the same way that he walked in God's will. We grow in love and compassion. We find ourselves confidently trusting God in the storms of life. And in our darkest days we endure with a confident trust and patience.

Our hope is in you Lord. Build our confidence in you as we trust you in hard times.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
No comments:

Into the hands of the living God

“Vengeance belongs to me,” says the Lord, “I will repay.” Again,“The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [Hebrews 10:30-31 WEB]

British Colonial Christian theologian Jonathan Edwards once preached a sermon titled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God". These verses, quoted from the Old Testament, are descriptive of the writing of a person who embraces an angry God perspective. Many today embrace such a paradigm.

I once had a discussion with a pastor about his views of the fear of the Lord. He described to me about how we should fear God. I called him on that saying that he was not really afraid of God. Yet such is the imagery that many have embraced as they paint the Lord as angry and vengeful.

In my view the operative word in these sentences is living. God is the epitome of all that is living. He is the author of life, love and goodness. It is not a fearful thing to fall into his loving hands because there is no fear in love. And his perfect love actually casts out our fears.

Thank you Lord for the love that I feel in your presence.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
No comments:

together to encourage

Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. [Hebrews 10:25 BSB]

This may be one of the most overused verses in the bible. It is often quoted to shame people for not attending a church service or special event. Sadly those who quote it often forget that Jesus taught us that he is there when two or three are gathered together in his name.

The heart of this verse is about our need to be with each other. Sharing our hearts as we spend time with each other. It is really difficult to share anything in a religious service where there is not two way communication. Hard to find encouragement when no one is listening.

Conversely, I have found so much encouragement when someone listens to me with an empathetic ear. There is so much inspiration in small group settings. The Holy Spirit seems to be in the dialog and in the sharing of hearts. It is why we must labor to schedule such times with the ones we love.

Help us to find times to be with people that refresh us and those in need of encouragement.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
1 comment:

spiritual gardens

since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings ... let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess ... let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works [Hebrews 10:21-24 NET]

There is a progression in these verses. Faith creates hope which produces love.
  • Sincere heart faith causes us to draw near to God. Any other flavor of faith is not really faith. And as we draw near we are assured that we belong to God.
  • Hope is a lot like assurance. Consequentially this kind of hope does not resemble wishing but is more like confidence in nature. We hope because we know God. 
  • Love is the outward manifestation of an inward reality. As faith and hope are established our focus is turned away from ourselves and onto others in selfless love.
The operative words are "let us". Faith, hope and love are not passive spiritual concepts. These must be fully embraced and worked out in our lives. Like a garden they must be cultivated.

We again commit ourselves to tending the spiritual gardens in our lives Lord.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)