The Faith Chapter

"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."
Hebrews 11:6

Many times I have read Hebrews 11, "The Faith Chapter", as it is called. But it was only this past week, after hearing a friend speak on the topic of faith that I spent time considering what this verse really means. There is the negative side of it that we must deal with that says that if we do not have faith in God's existence, character, and ability, that we are displeasing Him. Some who consider themselves Christian because they believe that God exists displease God because of a faulty view of his character and ability. Some in the church believe that God exists, believe that His character is graceful, truthful, loving and just, and are attracted to His character, but live their lives as if God is not able to come through for them. Instead of living a life of radical obedience and active faithfulness, they rely on their own strength, their job, their relationships, their pension, their 401K's to meet their daily needs. This too is displeasing to God.

The flip side to this is that believing in God's existence, character, and ability to come through for us in any situation is pleasing to Him. A faith that is willing to step out of the boat for Him and His kingdom is pleasing to Him. Do we have that kind of faith? What is it in your life that is completely unachieveable unless God steps in and does a mighty work? Are you willing to place this in His hands, as you place all the rest of your life in His hands? Is there a relationship that needs mending, and only God can do it? Is it a physical, medical, or financial need that can only be answered by the one who created our bodies, as well as every resource that is available to us? Is it direction for your life, that we can so easily make our own decisions for, and achieve less that God want to with our lives?

"Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Let's seek to please Him with a life of complete faithfulness. Due to this, I must put every need and desire that I have into His hands. Let's do this together. Matt