Striving for More

I don’t know about you, but every new year I become even more introspective, thinking of all God wants me to be.  This, in turn, makes me see how far I am from where I desire to be.  And unfortunately, this can morph into guilt over those marks I missed last year rather than a new start. That is the enemy in my head. He will use anything to get a foothold in my thoughts.  So, no matter how badly I missed the mark last year, I must remember this one thing. God loves me exactly as I am, not how I want to be. Yes, He wants me to desire more, to strive for the best. He placed that desire in my heart. But he will never love me more if I attain it and he will never love me less if I fail.  So I will continue to strive from a standpoint of a cherished child who can never disappoint, who can never suffer rejection due to failure. 

Location, Location, Location

This is my take-away today on Hebrews 11 which is commonly called the Hall of Faith.  

Faith in God is a process that starts with the first step of believing God exists. That is a major step for some of us.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV[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.

Then you must believe he rewards those who seek him. At this point you will start to ask questions about God.  You may look for answers at church, from a trusted friend, in prayer, or in the Bible.  As you begin to enquire about God, he will show you more truths to believe about him. He is so complex that this unfolding of God’s attributes will never end. As you believe more about Him, you will change. Your beliefs about God will become more evident daily as you become more full of faith.  

There are many people listed in Hebrews 11 who lived their lives by faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses’ parents, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barack, Samson, Japheth, David, Samuel and the Prophets.  None of them was perfect. Many wouldn’t even be accepted in some churches today due to their lifestyle, but each was seeking God in faith. 

Hebrews 11:13-16 NIV[13] All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. [14] People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. [15] If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. [16] Instead, they were longing for a better country---a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

So remember, if you are living a life of faith, you will begin living life as a foreigner here on earth, in your country, in your town.  You do not belong to this world, but to the next.  I have heard it expressed the following way. Life is permanent.  None will die.  It is only a matter of location. 

This life on earth goes by quickly then life in the next location begins.  So as a faithful follower of Christ, we are to live our lives looking expectantly to the next.  From what I hear, it will be grand! 

Image by Ales Krivec from Pixabay