Heroes Of The Faith

-November 15, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

(Hebrews 11:13).

Hebrews chapter 11 is the chapter on faith in the Bible. It is commonly referred to as: “The Hall of Faith.” There are nine men and women mentioned in this chapter from the OT that exemplified their faith in life and death. There are many others in Scripture, but the Holy Spirit chose these individuals to identify for their outstanding faith.

The nine are: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. The writer lauds their exploits in Hebrews 11:33-40. Through faith they subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, received back their dead to life again, were tortured, not accepting deliverance to obtain a better resurrection, were mocked and scourged, were chained and imprisoned, were stoned, were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword, wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, wandering in deserts, mountains, dens and caves of the earth.

These people were true heroes of the faith. They were those of whom the world is not worthy. They obtained a good testimony through faith, though they lived before the cross, and never received the promise, but saw it afar off. We have something better in Christ.

A hero is defined as, “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” We have modern heroes today: soldiers, doctors, nurses, EMT’s, lifeguards, police officers, firefighters, and others who risk their gives their lives to rescue, save, and deliver those in need. We should thank them, support them, and pray for them. But there are also so called unsung heroes, ordinary people who rise up in crises situations to do extraordinary things.

To me there are individual believers in Christ who are daily heroes: parents and foster parents, pastors, preachers, teachers, missionaries, elders, deacons and others who serve willingly, sacrificially, generously, and consistently for our spiritual good. We look up to them as heroes and examples. When they die, they leave behind a legacy of faith.

All of us have the potential to be heroes to someone in our sphere of influence. To live and serve Christ before those we come into contact with. Let us be heroic in our faith, devotion, and dedication to the Lord. Have a blessed day of faith. Stay safe in healthy.

Heroes have this in common: they act in faith, courage, sacrifice, and love to help others,

Dean