A Faith-filled Life Is Key To Having A Godly Reputation
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” (Hebrews 11:1-2)
Devotional Thought - Who are some people you know of that have a good reputation? We’re told in Hebrews 11:2 that to have a good reputation with the Lord and godly people we have to be a person who lives by faith in God.
Yesterday we learned that to grow strong in the Lord and live a victorious life, we have to learn how to “live by faith.” In Hebrews 11, we read brief testimonies of some men and women who did just that. That list includes Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and a number of others. It was said about them in Hebrews 11:33-34, “By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. . . . Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.”
When reading the list of people mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 we know from studying their stories in the Old Testament that they weren’t perfect individuals. All of them at times caved in to sinful strongholds in their lives. But they overcame those sinful strongholds as they deepened their faith relationship with the Lord. Which is a reminder to us that the Lord can do in and through our lives what He did in and through their lives if we make deepening our faith relationship with Him a passion and priority in our lives.
What does it take to deepen our faith relationship with the Lord? It requires studying God’s Word (Romans 10:17), pursuing the Lord’s presence (Galatians 2:20) and claiming God’s promises (Joshua 1:1-9). When we learn to live by faith we will, like other “heroes of faith,” be able to overcome our struggles and strongholds, and make a difference for good and for God in our world.
Prayer - Lord, help me remember that if You could turn sinful, struggling people in times past into “heroes of faith,” You can do the same thing in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Follow Up Activity -Go through the list of the “heroes of faith” in Hebrews 11, and identify characteristics in their lives that helped them become men and women of faith.
