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Wednesday November 6 - Faith in... our fear
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. Hebrews 11:7
Noah had a choice. He could believe that God was going to cause an unprecedented cataclysmic event and destroy the world that had become so evil... or he could do nothing and just hope everything would work out. We know the outcome and the decision he made: ‘Noah did everything just as God commanded him’ (Genesis 6:22). And we see the result of this in the rest of the verse in Hebrews 11:7 – ‘By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.’
As the main character in the film ‘Forrest Gump’ says, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” This is true – only God knows the future, for you and me as well as for the world. But there are times when he gives us a glimpse of what is to come, as he did with Noah, who spent months building that ark in holy fear. Yes, there is ‘holy fear’, and God can call us way out of our comfort zone to fulfil our destiny. Noah’s holy fear had the end result of protecting his family, despite the dire implications for the world. God’s call for us may also have consequences for others, but that is his business not ours.
Father in heaven, please help me to follow your will for my life, whatever the consequences. Amen.
Thursday November 7 - Faith in... our sacrifice
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
Hebrews 11:17
Those words can leave us breathless. The level of faith needed to offer your beloved son as a sacrifice is ‘off the scale’. Abraham’s faith allowed him to hold on to a promise God had made to him earlier, that Isaac was to have offspring – and consequently Abraham reasoned that Isaac would be raised from the dead. What faith! No wonder Abraham is designated ‘father of the faith’. Although Isaac was to be the actual sacrifice, one mustn’t neglect the sacrifice made by Abraham himself, who was prepared to watch his son die before him, even if he did expect a resurrection.
What sacrifices have we made, or are we prepared to make for God? This is, after all, a key feature of the Christian life: ‘...to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship’ (Romans 12:1). We need to be so confident of the personal assurances God makes to us that we can tell others about this wonderful gift of salvation we have. We don’t need to prove this by offering our lives in terms of the ultimate sacrifice – although many have done in times of persecution, war and conflict – but instead we ‘offer our bodies’ through acts of service. There are always sacrifices we can make to demonstrate the light and the life we have within us.
Father in heaven, please help me to offer up myself as a living sacrifice in obedience to you. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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