Devotions for Monday, August 15, 2011
Hebrews 11:1-2
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. (Hebrews 11:1, 2)
Pastor Ben’s Commentary:
Over the next few days we are going to examine this chapter of the Bible. It is one of my favorites!
In vs. 1 the author says that faith is…
Substance- hoped for
Evidence- not seen
When we treat what is hoped for and unseen as substance and evidence we are practicing faith. This doesn’t mean we should be ignorant, unwise and silly. What it does mean is that while we aren’t able to see everything, we trust the One who can.
In vs. 2 the author then explains that those who went before us (specifically the Old Testament figures he is about to mention) gained a “good report” by “it”- it referring to faith.
Application:
1. When we exercise or demonstrate our faith in what is unseen, it doesn’t mean we “check-out our brains at the door.” Being human means that there is a lot that we don’t know about, don’t have evidence for, and can’t see. We must look to the evidence that God has given of Himself and respond to that.
2. We can move in faith knowing the example and end of very real people who have gone before us. The men and women who the author is about to mention from the Old Testament weren’t mindless faith-robots. They were real people, with real problems, who made real mistakes, but had a good report with God because they responded in trust and obedience when the evidence/communication from God showed up.
If you were judged on your faith in God would you have a good report or a bad report?
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
If I was judge by my faith of god it would ve a good report because I do have faith in god and believe in him with all my heart ❤ 🙂
I agree with you Mafalda! If god judged me it would be good cause he knows I love him and spend time with him and his word. 🙂
I think V.1 is so cool! “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. the evidence of things not seen.” It’s saying that faith is believing in something you can’t see, and treating it like it is right before your eyes (evidence). The best example is God. So many people don’t believe in Him because you can’t see Him. That’s why God gave us His word! When i read this, i thought of Corey’s message last night about True-ish. We have to know that the only thing 100% true is the word of God, and everything He has done for us. A lot happens to where it gets twisted to just being true-ish. Having faith in God that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) really helps me have a strong foundation of truth in God! 🙂
I love this chapter of the Bible! In the pages of this Chapter God records men and woman just like you and I who had faith in real situations! Its encouraging to see examples of people who took a chance on God and he came through in a big way! Its just further proof that when we take a chance on God he doesn’t let us down! He doesn’t always do things the way we should do them but he always does what is best for us and that is an incredible thing to know! We can take a chance on God and know he will come through for us just read through some of the examples in this chapter!
If I was judged on my faith in God I’m not sure if I’d have a good or a bad report, but I know my faith in God has gotten better over the summer! 🙂 I love this chapter & it’s a good reminder to keep our faith in God!
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Hebrews 11:1-2
I think that these two verses are very powerful! In my study bible it says, “True faith is not based on empirical evidence but on divine assurance, and is a gift of God.” True faith doesn’t come from what has to be proven to you, but because in your heart you are positive that it is real and you believe in it! True faith truly is a gift from God! When it says “For by it the elders obtained a good report”2, report means testimony. We need to live by faith in a sense that it is going to give us a good testimony. We need to have so much faith in God that He is going to guide us through the future and give us the best life possible, and by that we don’t live a life for us, but for Him. Having this faith will give us a good testimony in our walks with Him! 🙂
As for the question if God were to give me a report in my faith, I think my report would be pretty rocky honestly. I haven’t always put my faith and trust in God, I took my choices into my own hands and went down the roads I was directing for myself. Let’s just say those roads were not always the right ones! I’ve learned how important it is to put my faith in God and really trust Him with my everyday life and the choices I make. For example, right now I’m struggling to decide which college I’m supposed to go to and if God really wants to use me in full time ministry. I know in my heart full time ministry is my dream and that it’s what I really want to do, but is it what God wants me to do? Things like this is exactly where putting our faith in God become so important! I know I’m never going to put God below #1 again because I’ve made that mistake and my life became a mess. God NEEDS to be #1 and when you take Him off that you realize how much you reakky do need Him. Don’t fall into that trap! Anyways, faith is so important and it’s something that all of us struggle with, but it’s so important and makes a huge difference! 🙂
It’s like the illustration Sean used at camp when his son jumped from the scaffolding. We also need faith to honor God.
what i got out of this message was that we need to be faithful in god and in other people and show them we care and love them and god. and i feel the same way as ryan like when sean talked about jumpingh off the scaffolding and that means we need to jump out and into gods arms.