Day 3 - Week 81 - Hebrews 11:6 "And 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."

"Here are four reasons faith is necessary for pleasing God.

1. Faith brings salvation to our lives.  As we've seen in previous verses, we are saved by grace through faith.
2. Faith brings motivation to our work. The main theme of Hebrews 11 is that faith leads us to do things for God we would never otherwise do.  It motivates, fuels, and drives our labor.  The very next verse (v. 7) tells how Noah, by faith, built an ark to save his family.
3. Faith brings rest to our souls.  When we're temped to fret and fear, we discover that God has given us multiple promises and assurances for every contingency in life.
4. Faith brings excitement to our future.  We look forward by faith to a city whose builder and maker is God (vv 10, 16)."

                                  From 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, by Robert. J. Morgan

Our faith pleases God, and without faith we cannot please Him.  Our faith shows that we have come to the conclusion that God does, indeed, exist.  If we didn't believe God existed, we would not be coming to Him, would we? 

I think it is very pleasing to God when he sees one who has been trying to figure life out, trying to figure out who is in control, to finally come to Him in belief, no matter the road that they have taken to get to that point.  In fact, I think sometimes the longer, the more twisted the road that brings someone to the acknowledgement of God's existence, the greater the pleasure God has in their arrival.

It brings to mind the verses in Deuteronomy 4:27-29, "And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you.  And there you will serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.  But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Whoever you are, wherever you are, God is asking you to seek Him...to sincerely and honestly seek Him.  When you do that, you will find Him, you will believe that He exists, you will have found faith.  And He will be pleased.

 

Day 2 - Week 81 - Hebrews 11:6 "And 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."

"Without faith it is impossible to please God..."

What is foundational to a life that is pleasing to God?  Faith.  Faith is where we start.  Faith as small as a mustard seed, but faith just the same.  Faith that says, "I believe, help my unbelief."  And faith as exhibited through those mentioned earlier in Hebrews 11: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel.  If you want to know what lives of faith look like, go back and read their stories.  Were these people perfect?  Were they infallible? Nope - they all led lives that contained moments of weakness and rebellion.  But they  all looked to God through eyes of faith in Him.

Where are we tonight?  In the United States we are watching election results.  The race is so tight that no matter who you voted for, you cannot be assured of a victory.  But in whom are you placing your trust?  Where is your faith?

If your faith is grounded in any one person, if your faith is grounded in any human plan or device, you have no assurances for your future.  For any person can prove untrustworthy, any human plan can prove absolutely fallible.  There is no one who can give you the ultimate confidence that your future is secure.

But if your faith is in the Creator of the Universe, if your faith is in the One who is the Alpha and the Omega, who knows the beginning, the present and the future, then you can persevere through uncertain times, because your faith is placed in the One who is certain.

Rejoice in your faith...He is in control, He has always been, He always will be.



 

Day 1 - Week 81 - Let's look around and see where we are!

Here we are, starting our 81st week of our journey.  We haven't tracked our progress along the Appalachian Trail in quite some time.  Have any idea where we are? 

Well, with 80% of the trip behind us, we are passing through Vermont, just about to cross over into New Hampshire.  We have been hiking through the Green Mountains of Vermont, aptly named, don't you think?  Beautiful, beautiful pictures of nature...never forgetting the Creator behind these pictures!

Yes, the northeast is a beautiful place, just as so many of the places we have come through.  And God's Word is full of beautiful places...we have travelled through so many beautiful places of His Word, places of promise and places of assurance, places that encourage us and places that comfort us.  This week we'll add our last verse in our 12-verse section of "FAITH" verses.  Faith - the intangible that makes all the difference in our life---the difference that makes all the places we travel through, places of beauty.

Let's review and then let's add one more verse of faith....

The Holy Spirit's Role in our Lives (6)
Ephesians 5:18 "And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in to the Lord in your hearts."
Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ."
Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
2 Timothy 1:14 "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you...guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us."

Joy: God's Kind of Happiness (12)
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:5 "Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near."
Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."
James 1:3-4 "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you will be mature and complete, lacking nothing."
1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice always."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray constantly."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."


Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."
Ephesians 2:9 "Not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:17 "For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will trust in You."
2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

Our final "FAITH" verse is a great one, it is so basic, and yet speaks volumes.  Let it settle in to your heart, and explore it with me this week.


Hebrews 11:6
"And 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."