WALK OF FAITH
Opening Prayer
Give me more faith, my King.
Read Hebrews 11:23–40
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[a]
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[b] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 11:31 Or unbelieving
- Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Who is a man or woman of faith whom you admire, and why?1.3 miles of sidewalk, embedded with more than 2,500 brass-rimmed stars, makes up the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame.’ Its objective is to ‘maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world.’1
Hebrews 11 is our ‘Walk of Faith’! Yet, despite showcasing headline-makers like Noah, Abraham, Moses (7–12,24–28), along with many anonymous (29,30) and unlikely heroes (31), the victories it celebrates are not always visible. Alongside reports of glorious conquests (32–35a) are records of crushing defeats (35b–38).
But faith is ‘assurance about what we do not see’ (11:1b). The phrase ‘by faith’ recurs 21 times in this chapter. Inclusion in the ‘Walk of Faith’ isn’t dependent on daring feats, but on dauntless faith.
By faith, Moses chose shame (25) over fame (24); his decisions were based on a different set of values (26) because by faith he cherished in his heart a vision that hadn’t yet been made visible (27). The heroes of Hebrews 11 may not have savored ‘glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world,’ but they inherit greater, longer-lasting glory in God’s coming kingdom (40).
1 http://www.walkoffame.com/pages/history
Apply
How will you live ‘by faith’? What might be written about you as you take your place in God’s ‘Walk of Faith’?
Closing prayer
God, I want people to look at me and see my faith in You. Help me to have a living faith that truly shines who You are.
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