Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. In ancient times, it was the faith of the people that made God love them. By faith:
-We understand the creation of the universe by God's word
-Abel offered a superior offering to Cain's
-Enoch was taken up to heaven and Noah built the ark
-Abraham moved away from home without knowing where he would end up and became a father of descendants as numerous as stars in the sky, even though he was very old
-Abraham offered his only son Isaac as a sacrifice because God asked him to
-Isaac promised blessings for Jacob and Esau
-Jacob blessed his sons before he died
-Joseph spoke of the future of Israel and what to do with his body
-Moses' parents hid his body and disobeyed the king
-Moses rejected his cushy life and chose his authentic life as an Israelite
-Moses established Passover and saved the firstborn of the Israelites with blood
-The Israelites to crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land
-The walls of Jericho came-a-tumblin' down
-Rahab the prostitute saved the Israelite spies
This goes on and on! There are many more stories of faith, of miracles, even the dead being brought back to life in the Scriptures. We've also read of others who died horrible, violent deaths. Others never stopped moving, they were homesick for heaven and never felt at home on earth. All these people died in faith without receiving what God promised. That's because God had a better plan: He did not want them to reach the goal of their faith without us!
Let's get rid of everything that keeps us away from God and focus on Jesus. He didn't give up, He didn't focus on the bad stuff, and now He is seated at the right hand of God. He went through more than we will ever go through. Remember that suffering is God's way of perfecting us. (Some of us have to learn the hard way...) We learn not to play with fire when we get burned. Finally, we learn that by following God's Way we can have peace through righteousness.
To please God, love one another. Have empathy for the suffering of others. Honor your marriages. Be satisfied with what you have. If you need help ask God first. Focus on the life and teachings of Christ. The sacrifices in the temple were burned outside the city, just as Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem. The sacrifices that please God are to do good and help one another. Listen to your leaders, they care about your souls. May God grant you everything you need to do His will. (The final words of this letter do sound like Paul.)
Tomorrow read James 1-4:10
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