The Assurance of Things Hoped For

Scripture: Hebrews 11: 1-6

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him.”

Reaction: Continuing on the theme of faith, I revisited a passage I’ve meditated upon before. The phrase that struck me most was ‘without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Since I have been concentrating on pleasing God in the past several weeks, I was reminded that regardless of how I spend my time or what decisions I make, the most important thing for me to do is to remain steadfast in my belief in God, and in Jesus our Savior. I also got the feeling that I need to have faith (the assurance of something hoped for) that God has prepared a plan for me, just as he had a plan for the men and women of the Old Testament. This plan will be revealed in God’s own time, and all that is required of me is faith and a desire to please God and do His will. I believe God has already ‘rewarded’ me by revealing His presence to me in my everyday life. I know that my final reward lies ahead, when I will meet Him face to face in the next life.