“Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
Reflect
It is safe to say as Christians, pleasing God is something we desire wholeheartedly. We do things with the motivation of pleasing God, and our tasks are pleasing to Him, done in the correct motivation. While our motivations to please God through our actions may be pure, there is a part to pleasing God I sometimes struggle with, and that is faith.
I like to see what is in front of me. I think it is a natural thing for us to want to control our surroundings and situations. If we examine Hebrews 11, however, we see many times what our heroes of faith lived out, they lived out without seeing what would be the end result.
In our instantaneous society, we want what we want, and we want it now. In the era of Amazon prime, a two-day wait is a standard, and we have no room to wait for things. Faith, on the other hand, gives us the opportunity to wait. Faith defined in Hebrews 11:1 is, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” As R.C. Sproul puts it, “For the time being, only faith can see the future, as it receives the promises of God.” When we are faithful, we receive the promises of God even though we can’t see the future.
To please God we must trust Him. In dire situations, we have the promises of God we can cling to. God can see the big picture and gives us glimpses along the way. God wants us to trust Him and rely on Him. God wants us to trust His promises, His character, and His word. If you are struggling today, spend time with Him, and trust Him. Cling to His promises, and live today in faith. God will never fail you…that is a promise.
Pray
Father, I thank You that Your promises are true, and I can trust You. I pray my faith is pleasing to You even though I can’t see what is in front of me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus, and allow my faith to always be an offering to You. Amen.
Your Turn
Spend time in Hebrews 11 this week. What can we learn from each person mentioned? How does this affect the way we live out our faith?
