Hebrews 11:1 – The EV uses the words ‘assurance’ and ‘conviction’. Makes me think of the previous post. Earlier in the year as God was revealing my character to me, I prayed with tears that somehow I could overcome what was so ingrained in me, it seemed like trying to stop being male or quit having 10 fingers. Yet somehow, and I shared this with others, I firmly believed that I would be different by God’s acting on me. Some where I lost that ‘assurance of things hoped for’, and now I just strive to get through each day. Did God get weaker? Did he loose interest? No, I just forgot. I’ve settled for things seen instead of having a ‘conviction of things unseen’.
Hebrews 11:15-16 – God is not ashamed of us when we are seeking heaven. So, does this means that when we are world focused He is ashamed of us? Putting it that way, I guess it makes sense. Now, I’m not sure that means from one day to another, minute to minute. “This morning you were heaven focused and I was not ashamed of you, but then you turned on ‘Deal or No Deal’ and were thinking of the world and I was ashamed. Still, the lesson is that God may be ashamed of us when we think small, and small thinking is earth bound thinking. We ought to have our minds on greater things, things of heaven and things of God.
I guess it’s obvious, but isn’t that the essence of faith? We seek more than the obvious conclusions and possibilities. Isn’t that what all these men did? The world offered some things, even some great things (Moses lived in the house of Pharaoh), but they were looking higher still. How easily I settle for the mundane or even the good and don’t have the faith to look higher, to see what God is offering and go after that. Even more so, to refuse to settle for good or Earthly greatness.