Theme: Faith to be Commended
“For by it the men of old gained approval.” Hebrews 11:2
Thought:
Now we all love approval, especially from someone we either respect or whose opinion we value. When it came to school grades, I hoped for good ones, but it was especially important to me to earn them from a teacher I respected and admired. Growing up on a farm, my parents would give me chores, sometimes for pay but often just because they needed to be done. With my mom, it was often pulling weeds in one of her flower gardens or doing other yard work. With my dad, besides working in the peaches or grapes, it was a cleanup project or sometimes cutting firewood from old peach and almond wood. The goal was to get it done and to hear, “good job.” We love approval, especially from those who are important to us.
“The men of old” gained approval through their faith? What does that mean? When I grow in my faith, does that mean that I get more faith or that I increase a quality in me called faith? What does growing in faith mean, and how do I get commended for my faith?
Let’s begin by looking at a situation in the gospels where a non-Jew was commended for his faith.
In Matthew 8:5-13, we read, “And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.’ Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the centurion said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.’ Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the other darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.’ And the servant was healed that very moment.”
Now the centurion is commended by Jesus because he believed Jesus could heal and that Jesus would do what He said. His faith was directed to Jesus’ ability and faithfulness, not in his own abilities.
In Romans 4:16-25, Abraham is commended for his faith in God. In himself, Abraham was weak and unable to accomplish what God promised. In verse 19, we read about Abraham, “Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Abraham was weak and old, but his faith in God was commended as we read on, “yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”
Abraham was commended because he trusted the God who does not lie and who can accomplish all that He says. Earlier in verse 17, we read of Abraham’s faith in God, where Paul writes, “in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” Abraham believed all that God had said about Himself and that God would fulfill all that He had promised.
There is another illustration of faith in God’s ability, yet trusting God to decide how He will accomplish what He desires. In Daniel 3:17 and 18, we meet three of Daniel’s friends who are ordered to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar or be thrown into a fiery furnace. Daniel’s three friends illustrate a mature faith in God’s ability and freedom to accomplish what He desires. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
All of these examples show me that growing in faith is not about increasing my ability to do whatever I believe, but about believing that God can accomplish all that He desires. It means trusting in His wisdom for when and how that is accomplished. It’s believing all that God says about Himself as revealed in His Word, the Bible.
Reflection:
The Bible is given to show us who God is. As we read it and search its depths, we grow in our understanding of God. We see His heart and His desires. We see His character. As Proverbs 2:4 and 5 tell us, “If you seek her (wisdom from God and related to God) as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.” As we grow in our understanding of God, we not only become confident in His ability but also in His wisdom and discernment, and therefore trust in the decisions He makes as He cares for us. As seen in the examples of God’s protection in Daniel, God often delivers us through our circumstances rather than out of them.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for revealing Yourself through the Word and in Christ. Help me see You more clearly and hunger to know You better. Thank you for your faithfulness.
For further posts on “Let’s Grow in our Faith,” visit https//:stanjohnsonwriting.com
Leave a Reply