“All of these people gained a good reputation because of their faith, but none of them received all that God had promised. Because God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not achieve perfection without us.” (Hebrews 11:39-40, NLT)
It is not easy to live by faith. We live in a broken world. The weather is not good. Our bodies don’t work well. Our relationships are not working well.
When Adam was leaving the Garden of Eden, God told him that life would be difficult, and it is. There is a cosmic battle for your life inside and outside of you. You struggle with your own sinful nature. You also fight Satan himself, who wants nothing more than to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10, NLT).
And sometimes it just gets to you. You want to give up. But in Hebrews 11, God urges you to persevere in faith because he has not forgotten you and will keep his promises. He promises to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He promises to take away your tears (Revelation 7:17). And he gives you many other promises throughout his Word.
Hebrews 11 mentions a long list of biblical heroes who demonstrated faith in God’s promises: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Rahab, Gideon, Samson and others. Although they endured hardships, they continued on their spiritual journey.
Hebrews 11:39-40 says, “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, but none of them received all that God had promised. Because God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not achieve perfection without us” (NLT).
When you feel like giving up, do more than just hold on. Believe and trust in God’s faithfulness to fulfill his promises. And remember that God is not limited by your time on Earth to keep his promises. He has all eternity to keep his Word.
Let those promises give you hope in all that God is doing in and for you, even when it’s hard.
Prayer
Lord, I believe in Your promises for me and all Your children. Help me when I become discouraged, or when I fail, and give me Your grace and love to strengthen my faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
