Hebrews 11:1-12
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (v. 3) It’s constantly amazing to me that God SPOKE all things into existence. If we were meeting together Carol could tell you all she’s learned from her students’ Senior Projects about sound vibrations as the basis for solids’ existence. Amazing!!
…for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. (v. 6b) To me it’s easy to believe that God exists – looking through a telescope or a microscope is all I need to know that we are not just accidental beings. But the second half – that God is rewarding us just for seeking Him… That’s a wonderful thought, very encouraging!
For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (v. 10) I’m not sure what “city” Abraham was looking forward to, maybe just the thought that soon he would be abandoning his tent living in favor of solid structures. Maybe he had some vision of the Temple and Jerusalem – probably not. But to the present day… We all are looking forward to that heavenly city, which foundation is God and God alone! Again, another really encouraging thought!!
Slava Bohu!
Love it! I was also encouraged by v. 6, where all who honestly seek Him will be blessed. That covers a multitude of the confusions in our cognitive understandings of and about God!
I was also encouraged in v. 8 by Abraham’s faith and obedience in setting out to a place he didn’t know. For us, it may not be a geographical place (though Uganda stands out in my mind). But the place that God may send us to that we may not know is possibly change in culture, level of economic prosperity, new and different people “who are not like us”, doing things differently “than the way we’ve always done things”, etc. Where is God leading us to change in our thinking, our setting, our lives?