August 18-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:8-9, 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.9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
Observe what it is saying.
Genesis 12 tells the story. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.” Seemingly, out of the blue, God tapped Abraham to become the father of His people. It meant he had to leave his home, family, and country to go to an unknown place. All he knew was that God was going to bless him and make him into a great nation through whom all the peoples on earth would be blessed. What a promise! God gave him a grand vision but few details of what this would mean except the total disruption to his way of life. Faith requires action. We are told that he obeyed and went and lived as a stranger in this strange new land. He willingly uprooted his whole life by believing what the Lord said to him was trustworthy. This is a dramatic example of faith but is one that many throughout history have heard and responded to with total obedience.
Relate it to your life
How would I respond to such a knock on my door today?
Do something.
Lord God, I say I have faith, but give me the courage to act on what You have spoken and call me to do. Amen.
August 19-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:10, For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Observe what it is saying.
We continue with Abraham as a primary example of one who pleased God with faith. Here, we find what is absolutely necessary to be able to have such faith. Abraham was looking forward. If we are going to be people of faith who please the Lord then we have to look ahead to what is promised. We cannot dwell in the past. We must not grumble about how good it used to be. Abraham was looking far into the future to the city of God. He surely did not understand what that meant or how it would come about, but, nonetheless, his heart was set on the promise of God given to him. How much time do we spend looking in the rearview mirror of past successes and failures, celebrations and regrets, victories and losses? Are these memories keeping us from going forward to where God is calling us today and tomorrow? As people of faith, we keep our eyes on the Lord, and our ears attuned to His voice that keep us moving to a better place, to an eternal home that is being prepared for us, even, in this very moment.
Relate it to your life.
I must keep looking up and ahead for that is where the Lord is leading.
Do something.
Lord God, help me to overcome my focus on the past and keep me moving forward. Give me such faith to trust You as You lead me into the future, all for Your glory. Amen.
August 20-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:11-12, And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Observe what it is saying.
Abraham’s wife Sarah is included in the list of heroes of faith. However, as Abraham did, she laughed at the impossible announcement that she would have a child at the age of 90. Here’s the story as recorded in Genesis 18:12-15, “So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’ Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh.’” I think it is rather comforting that she responded, as I imagine many of us would have, yet she’s included in this list as one who trusted the Lord’s promises. She may not have started out with great faith, but after this encounter with the Lord, she became a quick believer that the Lord God is the God of the impossible. Thankfully, our legacy of faith is not judged on how we begin but how we finish. So, let’s finish well!
Relate it to your life.
How has my own trust in God changed over time? Do I have faith that God will carry out His promises?
Do something.
Lord God, in the midst of my doubts, give me such faith to believe that nothing is too difficult for You. Amen.
August 21-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:13, All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
Observe what it is saying.
They knew that God had promised certain blessings, but they did not receive them. We must be careful how we understand this, for Hebrews 6:15 has already said that Abraham "received what was promised." Humanly speaking, when there was no hope of having a son, he saw Isaac born. God's promise to Abraham, however, meant far more than that; it is the fullness of the blessing that is in mind here. The best that happened to these saints was they had glimpses of what God had promised in having billions of descendants who would be a blessing to the world. They trusted God to deliver on His promises even though they knew it would not fully come to fruition in their lifetime for they were no more than "foreigners and strangers." This description was how Abraham, Jacob, and even the psalmist described themselves. The author sees that it was faith that enabled all these saints to recognize their true position as citizens of heaven and as foreigners on earth. Jesus would be the one who would ultimately fulfill this prophecy and bring us all home as we find in Ephesians 2:19-20, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
Relate it to your life.
As a follower of Jesus, I am a foreigner to this world but at home in the kingdom of God.
Do something.
Lord, remind me this isn’t my home but only a brief stop for the home being prepared for me. Amen.
August 22-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:14-16, People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Observe what it is saying.
To acknowledge the things stated in verse 13 has further implications; namely, that the kind of people spoken of are looking for "a country of their own." If they had regarded themselves only as earthlings, they would not have retained the vision of faith with their attention squarely fixed on what is beyond this earth. The patriarchs could have gone back to Mesopotamia, had they so chosen. There was nothing physical to stop them, but their faith kept them in their new home. When Abraham wanted a wife for Isaac, he wanted her to be from his homeland. But he did not go back there himself. Instead, he sent a servant to get the bride and said to him, "Make sure that you do not take my son back there." Their desire was for the heavenly country. The adjective "heavenly" connects country with God and with all it means to belong to God. So strong was their commitment to their heavenly calling that God was not ashamed of them. Their faith envisioned far beyond what they could see, trusting in the promise of God.
Relate it to your life.
Do I keep my eyes on the promise and prize of my heavenly home or do I settle for only what I can see?
Do something.
Lord God, give me such faith that I can stay focused on the eternal promises that You have for all who truly believe. Amen.
August 23-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:17-19, By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
Observe what it is saying.
We may see this test as primarily a conflict between Abraham's love for his son and his love for God. However, the author identifies the main issue to be Abraham's difficulty in reconciling the different revelations made to him. God had promised him numerous descendants through Isaac; yet now He called on him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. How, then, could the promise be fulfilled? Though he did not understand, Abraham chose to fully obey. His faith told him that God would work out his purpose, even if he himself could not see how that could be. So, he "offered Isaac as a sacrifice." He held nothing back. At the same time, however, God did not require him to slay his "one and only" son. Abraham’s faith was not passive; he took the responsibility of being the man through whom God would work out his promise. Yet he was ready to offer the required sacrifice. He "reasoned" that God could raise the dead. This fits the Genesis story, as Abraham went off to offer the sacrifice, by faith he said to the servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." And figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." In this outlandish request, Abraham believed God would still honor His promise, even believing Isaac would somehow be resurrected.
Relate it to your life.
To trust God even when I do not understand is the ultimate test of faith.
Do something.
Jesus, I choose to trust You in all situations and at all times, even when I don’t understand. Amen.
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:8-9, 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.9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
Observe what it is saying.
Genesis 12 tells the story. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.” Seemingly, out of the blue, God tapped Abraham to become the father of His people. It meant he had to leave his home, family, and country to go to an unknown place. All he knew was that God was going to bless him and make him into a great nation through whom all the peoples on earth would be blessed. What a promise! God gave him a grand vision but few details of what this would mean except the total disruption to his way of life. Faith requires action. We are told that he obeyed and went and lived as a stranger in this strange new land. He willingly uprooted his whole life by believing what the Lord said to him was trustworthy. This is a dramatic example of faith but is one that many throughout history have heard and responded to with total obedience.
Relate it to your life
How would I respond to such a knock on my door today?
Do something.
Lord God, I say I have faith, but give me the courage to act on what You have spoken and call me to do. Amen.
August 19-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:10, For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Observe what it is saying.
We continue with Abraham as a primary example of one who pleased God with faith. Here, we find what is absolutely necessary to be able to have such faith. Abraham was looking forward. If we are going to be people of faith who please the Lord then we have to look ahead to what is promised. We cannot dwell in the past. We must not grumble about how good it used to be. Abraham was looking far into the future to the city of God. He surely did not understand what that meant or how it would come about, but, nonetheless, his heart was set on the promise of God given to him. How much time do we spend looking in the rearview mirror of past successes and failures, celebrations and regrets, victories and losses? Are these memories keeping us from going forward to where God is calling us today and tomorrow? As people of faith, we keep our eyes on the Lord, and our ears attuned to His voice that keep us moving to a better place, to an eternal home that is being prepared for us, even, in this very moment.
Relate it to your life.
I must keep looking up and ahead for that is where the Lord is leading.
Do something.
Lord God, help me to overcome my focus on the past and keep me moving forward. Give me such faith to trust You as You lead me into the future, all for Your glory. Amen.
August 20-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:11-12, And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Observe what it is saying.
Abraham’s wife Sarah is included in the list of heroes of faith. However, as Abraham did, she laughed at the impossible announcement that she would have a child at the age of 90. Here’s the story as recorded in Genesis 18:12-15, “So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’ Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh.’” I think it is rather comforting that she responded, as I imagine many of us would have, yet she’s included in this list as one who trusted the Lord’s promises. She may not have started out with great faith, but after this encounter with the Lord, she became a quick believer that the Lord God is the God of the impossible. Thankfully, our legacy of faith is not judged on how we begin but how we finish. So, let’s finish well!
Relate it to your life.
How has my own trust in God changed over time? Do I have faith that God will carry out His promises?
Do something.
Lord God, in the midst of my doubts, give me such faith to believe that nothing is too difficult for You. Amen.
August 21-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:13, All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
Observe what it is saying.
They knew that God had promised certain blessings, but they did not receive them. We must be careful how we understand this, for Hebrews 6:15 has already said that Abraham "received what was promised." Humanly speaking, when there was no hope of having a son, he saw Isaac born. God's promise to Abraham, however, meant far more than that; it is the fullness of the blessing that is in mind here. The best that happened to these saints was they had glimpses of what God had promised in having billions of descendants who would be a blessing to the world. They trusted God to deliver on His promises even though they knew it would not fully come to fruition in their lifetime for they were no more than "foreigners and strangers." This description was how Abraham, Jacob, and even the psalmist described themselves. The author sees that it was faith that enabled all these saints to recognize their true position as citizens of heaven and as foreigners on earth. Jesus would be the one who would ultimately fulfill this prophecy and bring us all home as we find in Ephesians 2:19-20, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
Relate it to your life.
As a follower of Jesus, I am a foreigner to this world but at home in the kingdom of God.
Do something.
Lord, remind me this isn’t my home but only a brief stop for the home being prepared for me. Amen.
August 22-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:14-16, People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Observe what it is saying.
To acknowledge the things stated in verse 13 has further implications; namely, that the kind of people spoken of are looking for "a country of their own." If they had regarded themselves only as earthlings, they would not have retained the vision of faith with their attention squarely fixed on what is beyond this earth. The patriarchs could have gone back to Mesopotamia, had they so chosen. There was nothing physical to stop them, but their faith kept them in their new home. When Abraham wanted a wife for Isaac, he wanted her to be from his homeland. But he did not go back there himself. Instead, he sent a servant to get the bride and said to him, "Make sure that you do not take my son back there." Their desire was for the heavenly country. The adjective "heavenly" connects country with God and with all it means to belong to God. So strong was their commitment to their heavenly calling that God was not ashamed of them. Their faith envisioned far beyond what they could see, trusting in the promise of God.
Relate it to your life.
Do I keep my eyes on the promise and prize of my heavenly home or do I settle for only what I can see?
Do something.
Lord God, give me such faith that I can stay focused on the eternal promises that You have for all who truly believe. Amen.
August 23-Faith
Write out the Scripture.
Hebrews 11:17-19, By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
Observe what it is saying.
We may see this test as primarily a conflict between Abraham's love for his son and his love for God. However, the author identifies the main issue to be Abraham's difficulty in reconciling the different revelations made to him. God had promised him numerous descendants through Isaac; yet now He called on him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. How, then, could the promise be fulfilled? Though he did not understand, Abraham chose to fully obey. His faith told him that God would work out his purpose, even if he himself could not see how that could be. So, he "offered Isaac as a sacrifice." He held nothing back. At the same time, however, God did not require him to slay his "one and only" son. Abraham’s faith was not passive; he took the responsibility of being the man through whom God would work out his promise. Yet he was ready to offer the required sacrifice. He "reasoned" that God could raise the dead. This fits the Genesis story, as Abraham went off to offer the sacrifice, by faith he said to the servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." And figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." In this outlandish request, Abraham believed God would still honor His promise, even believing Isaac would somehow be resurrected.
Relate it to your life.
To trust God even when I do not understand is the ultimate test of faith.
Do something.
Jesus, I choose to trust You in all situations and at all times, even when I don’t understand. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotionals