This week, as a community, we’d like to pause between plans and refresh the way rhythms we use to read God’s Word. Join us as we dig into some familiar (or not so familiar) pieces of scripture and seek our Father together by reading and processing this truth.
Today’s passage is Hebrews 11
First, let’s pray. Ask the Lord to open your heart and your mind and to help you focus on Him. Confess the things that might be keeping you from really truly experiencing His presence and submit your time to His will.
Second, let’s read Truth! Take your time and see what catches your attention. Make notes of what impresses you and moves you. Try to see the whole picture of what the passage is conveying. What does it say about God?
Next, reflect on what He’s saying. What does this passage mean for you and for the body of Christ? Is there anything you feel like He is personally communicating to you for your exact season, situation, or circumstance?
Lastly, let’s respond. Prayerfully and humbly, see what’s next. What do you need to do in light of what you’ve read? How will it affect your day, your life, and your walk with the Lord?
And as always, feel free to share with us in the comments below!
It is our joy to read Truth with you all.
In the midst of a season of real restlessness, reading this is a beacon. The far-off light that encourages me to keep plugging away one step at a time and trust that some day it will all make sense. This week shook out a little bit of clarity in recent struggles and this passage feel like such confirmation of what I've been going through. I hope it was as encouraging to others.
Faith, hope & obedience=promised eternal life! Elyssa and Rocknita55, thanks for sharing the links for those beautiful songs. Amazing vocals that ministered to my soul!
It was very powerful to read through the list of some of God's most faithful followers during the biblical times. It's so inspirational to think about some of the overwhelming obstacles that they were facing and how they persevered through faith.
Some of the verses that struck a chord with me were: 1, 6, 10, 25, 39, & 40.
My take-aways:
– Faith = Believing that God exists & trusting His unknown plan for us & that He will address our hopes.
– We are foreigners on Earth which is a temporary dwelling with an unstable foundation. Our true home is in heaven.
– It's better to be ridiculed as a Christian than to live in sin.
– If we remain faithful we will receive eternal blessings that are much more valuable than any Earthly hopes or promises.
"Lord, thank you so much for the amazing eternal city which you have built for us. Give me the strength to have faith in your plan & withstand ridicule from others. Amen!"
"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." 1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT
I could spend weeks in this chapter alone. It's really meaty. I want to run off on all sorts of tangents because there is so much to glean. The bottom line is..faith is all about staying focused on God. Even when things don't always make perfect sense to me, I can be confident that HE sees things the way they REALLY are and I can FULLY trust His loving and just sovereignty.
"That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return." 2 Timothy 1:12 NLT
To be honest, though I always find comfort in scripture, it was the comments that brought the most clarity. I pray the God helps me to understand his message in it's totality. I did understand that all in all I need to develop, maintain, and exercise my faith.
But every time I even hear the word faith it gets me to thinking about the age old phrase "faith without works is dead". I know that when tested in life, I still have faith–but is that it? Is there some other meaning to "works"? Can someone explain that to me? I would love to get an opinion from you ladies.
Thank you.
This is always tricky – the whole faith and works thing. Works are the evidence, the natural by product, of a life of faith. It is similar to the passage in Matthew when, referring to believers, it says you will know them "by their fruit."
The works and the fruit – these do not earn salvation, nor are they done to prove our salvation. It is just the natural results of a life changed by Christ. Works – caring about orphans and widows, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, caring about our fellow man, lives of sacrifice – these are characteristics of a faith that is alive and active.
So, again, works are not an effort to earn or prove anything. Just a result of faith.
Hope that helps.
Well said! :)
Really well put! Amen!
Maria-Lynn – the word "works" is referring to action. DOING something. So another way to understand the scripture is that faith without action is meaningless (my paraphrase at least).
The long list of Old Testament patriarchs in these passages had so much faith that they put aside the comforts of earth to pursue what God was calling them to do. They lived differently. Like Stacy touched on, what we DO doesn't save us. Only Jesus brings salvation. Salvation is a gift from God that we cannot earn by doing good works.
I hope this helped explain it. I'm sure there are more lovely ladies that could expound on this subject even further. Blessings!
I sound like a broken record, but I am so happy I decided to get involved with SRT again. This plan is definitely what I need at this point in my life.
Today's reading made me realize that without faith, we essentially have nothing. We truly have to believe in Him 100% and our faith can not waiver. Also, just because we may not get what we want when we want it or have our prayers answered the way we hope, doesn't mean that there isn't something better out there waiting for us.
I spent some time this morning going through very of pictures of my grandparents, uncles, and Dad. I wondered what amazing life stories and lessons were learned and told as these old b&w pictures were snapped. Now as I have read this mornings passage, I find myself grateful for both biblical and familial ancestry. That we might learn stories of life and faith through those that have gone before us. Some lessons we will learn through others mistakes but some lessons we will learn through stories of perseverance and struggle. All of these stories provide examples of faith to help us on our walk with the Lord, Feeling so humble and grateful today. peace, sisters.
This was such a beautiful chapter to read. Vs.6 really spoke to me this morning. “…and it is impossible to please God without FAITH.” This hit home because I am constantly asking God if my decisions please Him and I pray to understand His will for me. But my decisions (no matter how good intended they are to try and follow Christ and his will for me) do not mean anything if I don’t truly have Faith in all I do. A lot of times I will make decisions but don’t have full faith. I need to learn to have faith and contentment no matter what season I am in. And have faith in the Lord that no matter what decisions I make, He can and will set my path straight.