Now Faith Is...

These 3 verses fall at the end of chapter 10 in the book of Hebrews. 

"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE,
HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.
BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;
AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK,
MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."    - Hebrews 10:36-39

These verses set the stage for the magnificent Chapter 11 - perhaps the greatest words ever written about the lifestyle that we Christians are to pursue.

I've been spending a lot of time reading, meditating and teaching on the "lifestyle of faith".

I spent a day recently helping high school students understand the difference between faith and experimental knowledge.  And last night, our house was packed full of bright college-age friends studying through this very topic.

I can't in one blog post repeat everything we covered last night.

The best thing to do is to read Hebrews 10:36 through 12:3 in a single push.

Think hard about what each person did, the decisions they made, the actions they took and THE HOPE they had for the future!

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
For by it the men of old gained approval."  - Hebrews 11:1-2

Think about their lifestyle, how they blended a strong belief about what God was ultimately going to do (the resurrection and the kingdom to come) with their decisions in the present.

And then consider how you might live your life like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab and the rest of the crew.

In a nutshell, we MUST pursue a lifestyle that involves risk-taking, positive decision making and sacrifice - just like those great men and women in chapter 11.

The thrust for this lifestyle is the belief that God exists and will reward those of us who seek him diligently with a resurrection body that will never die, and a real, physical Kingdom where Jesus rules the entire world in perfect Justice, with no more death, no more sorrow and no more pain.

I pursue adventures in the mountains for this very reason. I train myself and those I mentor to seek adventure in every area of their lives - to develop the capacity to take appropriate risks, to sacrifice and to make positive decisions in the midst of an uncertain world.

I believe this prepares us to live our lives like those great people of faith in chapter 11. 

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. . ."    - Hebrews 12:1

DON'T shrink back.

LAY ASIDE every encumbrance.

RUN the race.

ENDURE!

So, whaddya say - you in?