United by faith!

(Hebrews 4:2) “…because they were not united by faith with those who listened…”

What does it mean to be united by faith? Firstly it is imperative to understand that without “unity by faith” we play right into the “hands of detriment”! Faith is packed full of nutrients that has been designed by God to sustain the soul, no differently to vitamins for the body. Of late I have been struggling with some pain in my legs and according to my doctor; I lack the supplement magnesium… Instinctively I have now been forced to pay attention to my body’s lack, bananas now part of my daily diet! If I have no magnesium and I ignore my physique’s lack I am then forced to face the consequences, pain in my legs throughout the night! I do not get a goodnight sleep! Without suitable application to faith our souls will suffer and the joy of the Lord will elude us.

However I am not for one minute suggesting that in our application to faith by Christ Jesus our Lord, that life will be plain sailing, on the contrary life will be full of trials, it is through those tests that we will learn to live by faith; without them we would be no more than a clanging cymbal without any harmonious beat.

We needn’t look any farther than our brothers and sisters of old; Jacob was told to go and he went with staff in hand and yet it is through the trial of his faith and his dependency upon the Lord which taught him to trust in his God! It was no different with Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, and Rahab the prostitute…

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated-- of whom the world was not worthy--wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:32-40) – We have all been sold a lie; we needn’t look far-off, as we and those closest to us, who call upon the name of the Lord love to “hedge our bets”. We have life policies, saving for rainy days and the like which reassure us that all will be ok! We say things like, “God wants us to have good careers”, oh really! If anything takes priority over our dependence upon our trust and our faith in God, we believe a lie! We have been hoodwinked and we need to repent and perhaps God in His goodness would repair a right spirit in us all! Be merciful Father God I pray, not because of who we are but rather because of who you are!

The writer of the book of Hebrews has sounded the trumpet; here then is the warning… “Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” (Hebrews 4:1-2) 

   

 My prayer for today would be that we would make it our business to ask God to open our eyes to this truth and reveal the lack in our lives so that we may search out His grace, in order to please Him.

Signing off

Tyrone