Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6
G. K. Chesterton, a British philosopher and writer of the early twentieth century, describes his journey to faith as an “English yachtsman who slightly miscalculated his course and discovered England, under the impression that it was a new island in the South Seas . . . I am the man, who, with the utmost daring, discovered what had been discovered before.”
Our journeys of faith lead us to discovering God. It is not a new pursuit, but it does require eyes to perceive the invisible. Faith is first of all eyes to see God. If we have faith, God will suddenly and consistently dominate our line of vision. That was true for Moses. The writer of Hebrews credits Moses' extraordinary legacy to his extraordinary faith. Because Moses saw God, and believed in the greatness of His character and the reliability of His reward, he was able to live his life radically and intentionally for God. In a few short verses, we see how faith motivated Moses toward deliberate acts of following God.
Moses' faith gave him wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to conduct one's life for the greatest eternal gain. Wisdom is only possible when one can understand the future implications of one's choices. Foolishness is living for the moment; wisdom is planning for the future. Moses could have had a lot of luxury and ease as an Egyptian prince. But wisely, he understood honor and wealth to be short-term gain compared to the eternal riches and honor to be had when following God.
Finally, Moses' faith catapulted him to obedience. We see the relationship between faith and works: there is never one without the other. Faith is the willingness to put into action the confidence that we have about God and His Word. Moses lived and acted upon this confidence, and this is the reason for his heroic legacy.
Today Along the Way
If faith was such a key element in Moses' life, then we need to figure out just how we can have more faith. The Bible teaches that faith is inspired by the Scriptures: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). The Scriptures reveal who God is and what He is up to, and faith is our response to that revelation. Growing in faith means that our confidence in God grows, and then our willingness to obey God grows, too.
Post a Comment
