Welcome To The Deeper Studies Of
God's Word
The Reward
.Submitted By Pastor Lou
How Strong Is Your Faith?
For God to bless us, we must first please Him..Heb:11:6:
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
How do you respond when faced with a seemingly impossible situation? Do you fret about it? Do you complain? Do you get angry? Do you become afraid? And after you have done all these things do you pray? Or do you pray first and let God take over? I have to admit in my life I usually do the first and not the last. But as I grow older in the Lord and can look back and see all the times God has come through for me, it is becoming easier for me truly believe that God knows what he is doing.
It's kind of like driving down a dark winding road late at night. My lights shine out a little way ahead. I can't see the end of the road. I may not even be able to see the next curve, but I have to trust my headlights and the road builders that the road will not end abruptly and that I will be warned far enough in advance to turn when necessary. Walking in faith does not mean having a complete knowledge of what God has in store for us. It also doesn't mean believing that God will do anything I want him to do. Faith isn't a magic attitude I can put on and force God's hand in a situation. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that we need to believe in two things about God: (1) That He is and (2) That He rewards those who diligently seek him. Let's look at each of these:
Believing God Is:
Considering the language used here and the context I do not believe the writer to the Hebrews was saying that all we needed was a belief in some sort of God somewhere. A lot of people believe in some sort of God. Unfortunately, their beliefs are pretty fuzzy. If you ask someone "Do you believe in God?" You will usually get a quick "Yes." However, if you ask that person to describe what God is like, the answers get more equivocally. Believing in A god is not enough. Believing in The God is what is needed. The more we really under- stand who God is, the more we understand his nature, the easier it is to trust him. God is all powerful. God is all knowing. God is all loving. What does this mean? It means he can do anything. It means he knows what actually needs to be done. It also means that he will only do that which will promote our well-being in the long run. Once I understand this, it is easier to turn my life over to him, because there is no way, His leading will take me into trouble.
Believing He Will Reward Those Who Diligently Seek Him"
There are two parts to this phrase: a promise and a condition. The promise is that he will reward us. Driving down that dark winding road becomes a less boring task if I know that at the end of the road is my nice warm home with dinner on the table. Wherever our walk of Faith leads us there is a reward. That reward may be in this life manifested in healing, strong family relationships, career advancement, ministry blessings, and spiritual growth. But that reward may be deferred until that glorious day when the heavens roll back like a scroll and the King of King and Lord of Lords calls us home. Either way, the rewards of the walk of faith will far outweigh the inconvenience of the moment.Amen and Amen.
Never miss an opportunity to let God know how much He means to you..
Never miss an opportunity to tell your friends and loved ones how much they mean to you..
We never know when "Tomorrow" may be Too Late...
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