Without Faith It Is Impossible To Please God

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand the worlds were that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he pleased God.” And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

Hebrews 11:1-10

We live here as strangers and make the world not a house, but an inn, in which we eat and lodge, expecting to be on our journey soon.

Heaven is our real home, and that makes it easier to pass through the tough times here on earth. Take comfort in the knowledge that the perils of a journey on earth will be nothing compared to the glories of heaven. Abraham’s sojourn was that of a traveling foreigner, who by faith sought an eternal city constructed by God.

Whether death is near or far away, exhibit a faith that focuses on our eternal home.

We may walk a desert pathway, but the end of the journey is the Garden of God.

Our Daily Bread – April 3, 2009