Ezekiel 29:1-30:26; Hebrews 11:32-12:13; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 27:17
I did my One Year Bible reading this morning, and I
couldn’t wait to have some time to do my post. I have just been so
excited about the people of faith we have been reading about in Hebrews.
“Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the
prophets” (Heb. 11:32) are the headliners for our reading today on people of
great faith. I love reading about all the amazing things they did in our Lord’s
name, but the line that most caught my attention was the one describing them as
those “whose weakness was turned to strength” (vs. 34). We’ve already read
about each of these people of faith in our OYB readings so far this year, so we
know their story. But let’s look at our list again and how they could have been
known.
Gideon: doubter; Barak: hider-behind-skirts; Samson:
womanizer; Jephthah: daughter-sacrificer; David: adulterer; Samuel: well,
there’s nothing really bad to say about him; and the prophets: at times,
fearful, doubting, running from God, and more.
But those are not the words the writer of Hebrews uses to
describe these people. No, they are praised for their faith (“being sure of
what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” [Heb. 11:1]). So highly were
they respected that the author finally exclaims – “the world was not worthy of
them” (vs. 38)!
Isn’t that such good news? God took their weakness and
turned it into strength. God wasn’t limited by them living mistake-free and
without failings. God wasn’t dependent on them making every right decision and
hitting everything right on the mark in order for him to use them for mighty, mighty
things. I’ll admit, I would not have included some of those names on the list
of people of great faith. But God was not disappointed in them.
Since that can be true about those people who did some
pretty crazy and bad stuff along with the good, maybe that can also be true for
you and me.
“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.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb.
12:1-2a).
Let’s do it! Let’s throw it off! Let’s run free in
earnest pursuit in the kingdom of God. Let’s not wait to be made perfect, to be
sinless, to have it all figured out. Let’s do it now. Jesus will take us and
perfect our faith as we go along. He’s with us – the author and perfecter. We
don’t do it on our own. We just need to have faith, the sureness that Jesus is
who he says he is and will do what he says he will do.
Hebrews 12:12: “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms
and weak knees.” Who’s ready to run!?!
- Mary Matthias
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