Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. …
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. …
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-and Sarah herself was barren-was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. …
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. …
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Character Check Do I have regular contact with people who have less than I do?
In Business Terms I don’t think God asks us true-or-false questions. I think he asks us yes-or-no questions when we try to get close to him. Lots of people say True” to the Atonement, the Resurrection, the Second Coming, but that’s like saying, ‘True, I believe in marriage.” Not until you say yes to a person are you actually married.
So God’s first question is not, “Do you believe in the concept of discipleship?” It is rather this: “Will you trust me with your life, yes or no?” That’s what he said to Abram: “Will you leave the familiar, sell your house, pack up your goods, and move out?”
He didn’t ask Mary whether she assented to the doctrine of the Incarnation; he said, “Will you be the unwed mother of the Messiah, even though you’ll probably never be able to convince your parents, your neighbors, or the rabbi that you didn’t have an affair? Will you trust me?”
As a church boy growing up, I said “True” a lot of times. But it wasn’t until one night in 1945, while standing guard duty in a bombed-out building in Stuttgart, Germany, thinking very hard about my life and what I’d be going home to, that I finally said yes to God.
—Bruce Larson
Something to Think About What is faith unless you believe what you do not see? – Augustine
