Hebrews 11:8-16
Passage:
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a
place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out without
knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he lived in the land he had been promised as a
stranger. He lived in tents along with Isaac and Jacob, who were coheirs of the
same promise. 10 He was looking forward to a city that has
foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith even Sarah received the ability to have a child,
though she herself was barren and past the age for having children, because she
believed that the one who promised was faithful. 12 So
descendants were born from one man (and he was as good as dead). They were as
many as the number of the stars in the sky and as countless as the grains of
sand on the seashore. 13 All of these people died in faith
without receiving the promises, but they saw the promises from a distance and
welcomed them. They confessed that they were strangers and immigrants on earth.
14 People who say this kind of thing make it clear that they
are looking for a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking about
the country that they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return
to it. 16 But at this point in time, they are longing for a
better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God isn’t ashamed to be
called their God—he has prepared a city for them. [1]
Reflection:
We know
that we cannot earn God's love. We know that we cannot earn our way to heaven.
Yet, so often, we think that is what we have to do. We have a hard time trusting God to do God's thing in God's
time. Here, we are reminded that by trusting God, we are moved into action to
follow God's lead. Instead of saying, "God, look at me! See what I am
doing!" we can kneel down and say, "Where would you have me go
God? What would you have me
do?" Then, when we rise up,
we can listen for God's gentle direction. When we do this, we demonstrate faith
in God that God is in control. It is through faith that we receive God's
grace. It is through God's grace
we experience God's promises, both here and now in this life and in the life to
come.
Reflection Questions:
Morning: Am I going to do things my way or God's way?
Morning: Am I going to do things my way or God's way?
Noon: Where is God leading me today?
Evening: How can I let go of
what I want and instead want what God wants?
Prayer: Lord, help me to hear you.
Thank you for leading me and giving me the ears to hear you. May I act in faith even when I do not
understand.
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