I have been reading Hebrews chapter 11 and have been thinking about what faith is.
Have you heard this saying? 'It's not how you start - it's how you finish that counts' or, 'It's not how you start, it's how you finish the race.' You may not get out of the starting blocks quickly, but you can still reach the finish line..
This is how it is with faith. We are in a race to overcme evil before the time of judgement that is coming on the earth.
We start by having little or no faith, and this is the point where Jesus comes to meet us. He came to save the lost, heal the broken, and re-connect us to our creator.
When we started our life without Jesus, we were blown about by the wind, learning this and that from various places, trying to pick out which bits were right for us.
Jesus bought us certainty and stability. He is the same now as He was in the beginning. The word of God does not change with the tides of fashion or political correctness. What was wrong in the beginning is wrong now, and unchanged behaviour leads to death. The only difference is Jesus, who bought us forgiveness on the cross, for those things we did and unwittingly do wrong, He bought us God's grace and favour. All those mentioned in Hebrews 11 won His grace and favour, even though they sometimes made mistakes.
We don't always get to see the result of what God has set out to do, Hebrews 11 is full of names of people who believed what they did not yet see This is the essence of faith. We are blessed because we trust that what we cannot yet see is coming into being. For me that is peace on earth - Isaiah 2:4. (A bit of a cliche, but true), and if we hold out to the end, we win the prize...life with Christ.
And, there is not just one winner. Everyone who holds onto their faith to the end will win the same prize.
Hebrews 12 continues by saying,
'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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.'
Jesus is our example. Let's finish the race with dignity, with our faith in tact, standing strong in Jesus our saviour and redeemer, who loves us dearly, and who gave up all to save us only to receive it back again with honour and glory.
This is how I understand my God. Read for yourself, see what you think. See what you think.