"By Faith"

by Pat Hackney

In the 11th chapter of Hebrew we find:
By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice. By faith Enoch walked with God and was translated. By faith Noah prepared the ark. By faith Abraham was willing to offer his only begotten son. By faith Isaiah blessed his sons. By faith Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph By faith Joseph requested to be buried in Canaan. By faith Moses chose to suffer with Israel.
We notice in all the above examples that faith was the basis of the actions of the great heros of the Old Testament
In Peter's second epistle ( 2 Peter 1:5-8) we are told to give all diligence to add to our faith seven things in order to be pleasing unto God. First, for faith to assert itself requires virtues or courage. But virtue needs the guidance of the knowledge of God's word. And of course knowledge is worthless if we give sway to our appetites and passions. Hence, we must add temperance or self-control. But this requires a sustained effort through patience on our part to put our trust in God. Next, we must add reverence or godliness. This would mean to demonstrate our service to God by not forgetting our brothers in the Lord who need our help. We must be willing to share in our brethrens' struggles, trials, and sufferings. And in our love for the brethren we cannot forget the great mass of unconverted sinners. We must strive to lead men to Christ by cultivating our love for their souls and desire to see them saved.
We can be sure if we have tehse elements in our character, that we too can be a hero in God's eyes and have entrance into His everlasting kingdom.

• Faith -May 06, 2007
• Keeping the Faith -Jun 12, 2005
• Be Warmed and Be Filled -Dec 05, 2004
• When Faith Falters -Sep 26, 1999
• Mountains -Oct 25, 1998