This Chapter begins with the definition of faith that most of us can recite. 'Faith is the assurance of the things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.' What follows in chapter 11 is a list of many of the Old Testement characters and the way they showed faith. In each case there was something hoped for, something of greater value than the trial or task that faced them in that moment. They responsed to that task on the basis of assurances they held in faith. As verse 13 clearly puts it. 'These all died in faith, not having recieved the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from far and having achnowledged that they were strangers and exiles on earth. So this faith was not just the case of, I go to work each day in the faith that at the end of the month my employer will credit my bank account with what is due. No this is faith on a different level, this is the faith that hopes for things promised that we will never received in this life time. The example the Hebrew writer gives is that faith should be played out here in our earthly home in view of the rewards to be received once we reach our heavenly home. So whatever consequences those actions have here in this temporary earthly home we live as if the consequences of our heavenly home are all that matter.
So what is the practical outworking in our lives. What does it look like if we truely understand faith and the hope it has in the our heavenly home.
When it come to reading our Bibles as a Christian we know that without it we can't gain knowledge of God or wisdom for life and that we need this everyday as our spiritual food like we need physical food to even survive. So what does it mean if we lapse in our Bible reading if we are not in the Bible everyday? It means that we think we can manage, we can make it on our own, that our earthly wisdom is enough to get us through the day. This is not exercising true faith, what we know about reading our Bible has not made it from head knowledge to heart action.
When it come to prayer we know we need God's grace and mercy new every morning, that we need to be constantly repenting of our sins and religious virtues, and thankful for all God's provision everyday. So what does it mean if we lapse in our prayer life? It means that we can make it on our own, it means that we forget where our job comes from, or where our money comes from. It means we think we can make it through the day in our own strength and that there is no consequences in our lives to not keeping on top of our repentance. This is not exercising true faith, this is not transfering our head knowledge about prayer to a heart action.
What other areas in our life do we need to consider where we haven't transfered the head knowledge about our relationhip with Jesus to a heart action that plays itself out in our lives. Particularly in the faith action that James talks about in his book and that the Bible constantly takes about the action of compassion and justice for the poor.
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