It was by faith that...Part One

It was by faith that...

I am reading through the Bible this year. My reading this morning takes me to Hebrews 11. Many of us know this chapter of Hebrews as the "Hall of Faith." If you were to walk down this hall you would see the pictures of men and women who truly exemplified faith. You would see Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and his parents, the people of Israel, Rahab the prostitute (yes...she WAS a prostitute) and so many, many more. And those are just people who lived during the time of the Old Testament.

I was supposed to move on and read Hebrews 12 and 13, but I couldn't. I felt the Holy Spirit stop me and tell me to linger for just a bit. Reread the chapter. Look at each word that was intentionally penned thousands of years ago.

So I paused...and I lingered.

IT WAS BY FAITH THAT...

Five words in the New Living Translation. In other translations it is only 2...By Faith...

The first man listed in the Hebrews Hall of Faith is Abel:

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel's offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed His approval of His gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

Hebrews 11:4

It was by faith that Abel offered a better sacrifice. It is interesting that it says that even though he is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

Abel has been dead for a long long time but his faith still speaks to me...to you...

I can't help but wonder what kind of faith still speaks thousands of years after a person is dead? So, I turned back to Genesis 4 to read about Abel's story.

Abel is born in Genesis 4:1 and he is murdered by his brother in Genesis 4:8. 8 verses. And you know what I did not see? I did not see one word that Abel spoke. His brother Cain spoke but not one word of Abel's is recorded in Scripture.

This is what I do see: Cain and Abel both brought gifts to God. Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. When it was time for the harvest (and I am going to directly quote here), "Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. Abel also brought a gift--the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock."

So they both brought gifts to the LORD. They both brought God something from the work they had done. But when I read on I find out that, "The LORD accepted Abel AND his gift, but He did not accept Cain AND his gift.

It think it is important to understand why the LORD accepted Abel and his gift but did not accept Cain and his gift. Why is this important? Well...

Abel is listed in the Hall of Faith.

Abel's faith still speaks to us today.

Abel never spoke a word.

So there must be some connection between the gift he brought the LORD and his faith.

Stick with me for just a bit...

Could it be that God had spoken to the two brothers at an earlier time and told them what kind of sacrifice He required? If you read back to Adam and Eve you see that while they used fig leaves to cover their nakedness, God killed an animal and used the skin from that to cover them. Thus we have the first shedding of blood to cover sin, the first sacrifice.

I feel certain that Adam and Eve also told their sons all about how they sinned and what God did and what God required (This is first generation from the event here...it is fresh on their minds).

So if Cain and Abel both knew what God required to please Him then we can see why God accepted Abel and not Cain.

Abel brought what pleased God.

Abel was focused on God.

Cain brought was pleased himself.

Cain was focused on himself and not on God.

Abel's sacrifice was better than Cain's because he offered it in obedient faith to what God had clearly revealed. Cain's sacrifice was rejected because he did not offer it by faith and "without faith it is impossible to please God."

So, how does Abel faith still speak to us today?

First, Abel's murder shows us that God is aware of and will ultimately judge those who harm us. After Cain murders Abel, God says, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground!"
Second, Abel speak to us with his life, not his words. As I said earlier, there are no recorded words that Abel spoke and yet thousands of years after his death, he still speaks. This shows how much living a godly life can speak to those who come after us.
Finally, Abel's life speaks to us about how the measure of the impact of our life is not just during our brief time here on earth, but over history. Abel was murdered at a young age so he did not have time to stack up great accomplishments like Noah or Moses. Viewed from his lifetime, his life was wasted. But viewed from history his life continues to impact us today as we look to his example of faith and obedience.

Sing Songs of Thanks and Praise

My daily Bible reading took me to 1 Chronicles 23 this morning. What I read nearly stopped me in my tracks.
                                                                                                                                 
1 Chronicles 23 lists the duties of the Levites. Here is a list of the responsibilities assigned to the Levites once the temple was constructed:

• assist the priests
• take care of the courtyards and side rooms
• help perform the ceremonies of purification
• in charge of the sacred bread, choice flour, cakes cooked and olive oil, and the other mixed breeds
• stand before the LORD each morning and evening to sing songs of thanks and praise to Him. 
• they assisted with....

Wait a second...they were responsible for standing before the LORD each morning and evening to sing songs of thanks and praise to Him????

I started meditating on why God would include this in Scripture. I mean I know we should always thank God and we should sing praises to Him, but this verse is placed among all the other responsibilities the Levites had in their care of the Temple. 

My Thoughts

If you think back on the history of the Israelites after God used Moses to bring them out of Egypt you know that they had a tendency to grumble and complain (Exodus 15:24, Exodus 16:2, Exodus 17:2). When they grumbled and complained they took their eyes off God, which not only impacted their walk with God, but everyone around them. 

So now we are at the end of David's reign, the start of Solomon's reign and the Temple will soon be constructed. God knew that He needed to make sure that the Israelites kept their focus on Him so among the list of responsibilities given to the Levites He was sure to include thanks and praise. 

Singing songs of thanks and praise is primarily how we worship God, submit to His lordship and ultimately ensure that He receives all glory and honor. But, there is a benefit for us as well. 

Dr. Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist and this is what she says about expressing gratitude: 

 Gratitude can change our brain (there has been alot of research that proves this). It can stop the incessant loop of negativity and complaining that cause us to experience not only physical problems but anxiety, nervousness, anger, jealousy. 

If this is not a daily practice for you (and I admit I definitely need to practice this more) then why not start now? 

Every morning as the sun rises and every evening as the sun sets sing praises and thanks to God. I promise if you can learn to do this then He will take ashes and turn them into beauty for His glory. 

The Faith of a Gentile Woman Part 1: What to do in the silence

The Faith of a Gentile Woman Part 1: What to do in the silence

I met the most amazing woman in Scripture this past weekend. Her name is not mentioned, but she is remembered for her faith. She is a Gentile. She is a woman. Already two strikes against her. But she is a mom who finds herself in a desperate situation. You see, her daughter, whom she loves, is possessed by an evil spirit. She had heard that a man called Jesus, who was known for healing, had come to town. She was at the end of her rope. He was her absolute last resort. She went against all the rules of her culture to go to Him. 


She came to Him immediately and fell at His feet. It didn’t matter to her that she was a woman or that she was a Gentile. She was desperately resolved to have her daughter healed. 

She begged and she pleaded for Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus did not respond right away. I wonder what His silence did to her spirit in that moment. Silence can be so loud sometimes can't it? It is in the silence that our own inner voices shout at us and I can only imagine what her inner voice could have been saying to her because I know what mine would be saying: 

• "I'm not good enough for Jesus to heal my daughter." 
• "I'm just a woman. I don't matter to these men."
• "No one else could help me. Why did I think Jesus would?"

In the silence we must not let our emotions rule our heart. Our emotions will lie to us and lead us down a path to destruction. 

Jesus had a purpose in not answering her right away. He wanted to draw out and strengthen her faith. It was a test for her to see how resolved she was in seeking help for her daughter. And He wanted to do this, not just for her, but for the disciples watching. 

Silence from heaven doesn't always mean "No." It can mean, "Not this. Not now. Not yet."

So the next time you are desperately resolved to seek help from Jesus, don't take His silence as a closed door. Use the silence as an opportunity to strengthen your faith and to draw near to Him. In the end not only will your faith be strengthened, but the faith of those around you will be strengthened as well. 

Be strong and immovable. 

Stand firm. 

Be courageous. 

Never give up. 

That, my friend, is how God takes ashes and turns them into beauty. 

(There is so much to learn from this woman that I am working on multiple blogs, so stay tuned). 

Burn the Ships

When was the last time you thought about God's call on your life? In Mark 1:16-20 we find where Jesus calls His first disciples. It says:

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called to them, "Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" And they left their nets at once and followed Him. A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee's sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

As I read these verses I can't help but notice the reaction of the soon to be disciples. They didn't say:

• "Let me think about it," 
• "What does it mean to fish for people?" 
• "What is involved in following you, Jesus?"
• "Let me finish fishing for today, go home and rest and then I will let you know."

Scripture does not document any of those reactions. Instead what I notice is that when Jesus called them they left their nets at once and followed Him. No questions. No hesitations. They left everything they knew to follow a Man they knew only a little. They exchanged the known for the unknown. And they did it immediately. They were forever changed and their impact on society is still being felt today. 

As I studied those verses I thought of the new song by For King and Country called, "Burn the Ships." 

That thought led to the story about Hernan Cortez. Are you familiar with that story? He took his men to Mexico to seize some treasure that no one had been able to seize. When he got there he noticed that his men were weary, scared and ready to go back home; back to their old way of life. The legend is that he had them burn the ships. Once the ships were burned there was no way they could turn back and go home. All that was left of their old life was ashes. They were fully committed and were the first in history to take the treasure.

Burning our ships means there is no way to go back. We are 100% committed to whatever God has called us to do. There comes a time that we must examine what Jesus has called us to do. Are we fully committed or are there physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual struggles that are keeping us from being 100% committed? Are we hanging on to our fishing nets "just in case?" If so, let me encourage you to trust that when you leave your nets or burn your ships for what Jesus has called you to you will experience great blessing and satisfaction of being used by the One who created you. Your impact on society for the One who created you will be felt for generations.

I want to leave you with this thought: In Isaiah 61:3 it says, "To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes..." So even that which we burn so we can be fully committed to Him will be exchanged for a crown of beauty. Oh how great is our God!

What ships do you need to burn today?

Keep Fighting

This morning during my quiet time I was reading in Numbers. I came across a story that took on fresh meaning as I consider the state of our country. How awesome that God has given us a living Word that continues to teach us today. Not only teaches us but encourages us and strengthens us.

I was reading about the Israelites beginning to enter the Promised Land. Numbers 32 tells the story of the tribes of Reuben and Gad coming to Moses and Eleazer the priest asking to have the land east of the Jordan River. At first Moses thought they were abandoning their brothers but they assured him they would continue to fight.

Moses' response jumped off the pages of my Bible and I knew it was a message God intended for me to know and understand.

Then Moses said, "If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the LORD's battles, and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the LORD has driven out His enemies, then you may return when the LORD has conquered the land. You will have fulfilled your duty to the LORD and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the LORD." Numbers 32:20-22

This message became very clear to me as I considered it in light of the legislation from New York and Virginia that a baby can be murdered up to the moment of his/her birth. When I initially heard of this I was heartbroken. I cried. I wept. I wanted to scream. If I had lived in Israel's day I would have expressed my mourning by tearing my clothes and throwing ashes on my head.

It was the next morning that I read these verses in Numbers. How awesome to have a God that speaks to our sadness and grief. His message is not necessarily a comforting one, but it did open my eyes and help me somewhat understand why the world is the way it is.

Let me explain...

We, God's children, are the tribes of Reuben and Gad (I speak generally and not of everyone). We have been saved and have the promise of eternal life and heaven to look forward to. We know that we will spend forever in God's presence. So it is as if we have come to God and said, "Thank You, Father, for our salvation. If we have found favor with you, please let us settle here, live a happy life, raise our family and die happy (preferably in our sleep)."

When the tribes of Reuben and Gad came to Moses with this request, his response was, "Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting? Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the LORD has given them?"

Now as I shared earlier, the tribes of Reuben and Gad assured Moses that they would cross over and fight with their brothers.

What about us? What about me? I certainly can't speak for others, but I know my heart. I am guilty of being saved and settling instead of continuing to fight. This is why our world is in the state it is in. So many of our Christian brothers and sisters have taken God's command to go and to love others as He loves them. But many of us have chosen to settle on the east side of the Jordan.

Here is the beautiful message in all of this mess: Look back at the verse above.
A few things to notice:
1. Arm yourselves for the LORD's battles
2. Keep fighting until the LORD has driven out HIS enemies
3. You may return when the LORD has conquered the land.
4. You will have fulfilled your duty to the LORD and the rest of the people of Israel.
5. The land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the LORD.

We have the certainty of heaven if we believe that Jesus died for our sins and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. But until that day when God calls us home, we are to fight. Fight for and with our brothers and sisters. We are to arm ourselves every single day through prayer and God's Word, not to fight our battles, but the LORD's battles. And we are to keep fighting until HE has driven out HIS enemies. He is the one doing the driving out, not us. We just have to be faithful and obedient.

Now is the time to show up. Now is the time to say, "We, your servants, will follow your instructions exactly."

It is not too late. Arm yourselves and keep fighting. He will bring beauty from ashes.