Living with courage
Biblical text: Hebrew 11:7-8 “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, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Complementary text: Romans 3:21-28.
Thought of the Day:
Finally we arrive to the heroes of faith: Noah built an ark on land, Abraham left to an unknown land… The disciples asked the Lord: “Lord, increase our faith!” Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ request seems so idealistic when compared with the way we are living nowadays: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it will obey you” (Luke 17:5-6).
Before we give up and think that we do not have enough faith, we should meditate about this passage in the Old Testament and about Jesus answer. Noah and Abraham didn’t build their faith based on the great things they expected to accomplish. They lived day by day until God spoke to them personally, challenging them to do those things for which they became “famous”. What is interesting is to imagine what their reactions to God’s challenge might have been: did they think it was pure fantasy, and carried on with their daily routines, or did they convert God’s commandments into actions? By having obeyed God they became brilliant examples of faith: a faith that is capable of listening to God in such a deep way that God commanded them very specific tasks.
What should this mean to us? We should force ourselves to believe in “big things”, and we should listen to God so that we gain His trust and He will command us specific tasks (see Luke 17:7-10, for a parable about faith). It is important that we develop an obeying attitude in our lives, “both on the little things and on the big things” (Philippians 2:13-14). We have to be available so that, like Isaiah, we can say “I am here, send me”.
Biblical text: Hebrew 11:7-8 “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, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Complementary text: Romans 3:21-28.
Thought of the Day:
Finally we arrive to the heroes of faith: Noah built an ark on land, Abraham left to an unknown land… The disciples asked the Lord: “Lord, increase our faith!” Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ request seems so idealistic when compared with the way we are living nowadays: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it will obey you” (Luke 17:5-6).
Before we give up and think that we do not have enough faith, we should meditate about this passage in the Old Testament and about Jesus answer. Noah and Abraham didn’t build their faith based on the great things they expected to accomplish. They lived day by day until God spoke to them personally, challenging them to do those things for which they became “famous”. What is interesting is to imagine what their reactions to God’s challenge might have been: did they think it was pure fantasy, and carried on with their daily routines, or did they convert God’s commandments into actions? By having obeyed God they became brilliant examples of faith: a faith that is capable of listening to God in such a deep way that God commanded them very specific tasks.
What should this mean to us? We should force ourselves to believe in “big things”, and we should listen to God so that we gain His trust and He will command us specific tasks (see Luke 17:7-10, for a parable about faith). It is important that we develop an obeying attitude in our lives, “both on the little things and on the big things” (Philippians 2:13-14). We have to be available so that, like Isaiah, we can say “I am here, send me”.
Worship and Thanksgiving
For God’s plan for the salvation of people;
God writes History along with us;
Intercession
Revival;
Evangelistic activities;
So that God will write History with every one of us;
To listen to God in the quiet, with determination, courage, self denial, commitment and obedience.
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