Daily Devotional

-July 26, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Understanding Faith And Practicing It-

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

(Hebrews 11:1).

Hebrews chapter 11 is the “Hall of Faith.” It is to faith what 1 Corinthians 13 is to love. It is fitting that the very first verse defines faith. The rest of the chapter mentions various men and women of faith and the actions they took that resulted from their faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

It is a beautiful definition of faith found in today’s verse, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith always looks forward to what God will do by believing Him and believing in Him; faith trusts God and trusts in Him; and faith obeys God no matter the possible outcomes are.

• Faith is the substance of things hoped for – Faith hopes in God for who He is and what He has already done for us in Jesus Christ. He has a perfect track record in our lives. Saving faith is based on Christ’s finished work on the cross; keeping faith is believing in His daily presence and help in whatever we face; and fulfilling faith is what God will do for us as He promised.

• The evidence of things not seen – This statement seems to go against all that we know in this world of proof and evidence to support a conclusion. In court, evidence must be provided, presented, and proven in order to be accepted; in medicine, drugs and other forms of medication must be based on facts proven in a laboratory. People often say, “Show me the proof, then I will accept it” or “I will believe it when I see it.”

Faith operates on a higher plane, in the spiritual realm. It is not however based on blind faith, but rather is based on the Almighty and what He says in His Word and does for us. Martin Luther said, “Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible. Then, it accepts the impossible, does without the indispensable, and bears the intolerable.”

This is why Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). To believe and trust God leads us to depend on Him no matter what we see and hear. Jesus told Martha in John 11:40 at the tomb of her dead brother Lazarus, “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe you will see the glory of God.’” And sure enough she did believe and saw Jesus raise her brother from the dead.

May the Lord build and strengthen our faith to believe, trust, and act on that faith. In the case of each man or woman of faith in Hebrews 11, it says their name and the words, “by faith.” All of them put their faith in God into action. They took the substance and the evidence of who God is and what He can do, and looked to God for the results.

May the Lord help us to walk by faith not by sight, to believe and trust, and act on what God has said. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean