In Hebrews chapter 11, Paul lists many examples of people in Bible history, such as Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Rahab, and others who acted “by faith” in God’s promises to do difficult, embarrassing, frightening, life threatening, and even life ending assignments they knew God was calling them to pursue.

The next few days’ messages will be related to the subsequent verse in Hebrews 12:1 where Paul writes, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

One of the great things about sports teams and clubs with common interests is that the members become examples for each other to excel and overcome obstacles. I think what Paul is telling us with the description of “a crowd of witnesses” is that we have “a team” for us to use as examples to help us excel in our faith. We should read about and meditate on the stories of these people to see how they acted in faith, and God kept his promises to support them in their callings.

Dear Lord, thank you for these examples of faithful witnesses on who’s stories we can rely for confidence in you. Help us use this confidence to faithfully pursue those things to which you are calling us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I write this daily post as somewhat of an instruction for Christians, including myself, on how to live and think about living our lives on earth, but I think it is important to take a moment and remember the sequence that God has established for us.

First we are saved, not by doing the right things and living the right life. Jesus says in John 3:17,18, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.”

The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to believe. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.”

Then, because we believe, we live the Christian life God desires. John writes in 1 John 2:3, “and we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.”

Finally, as active Christians we share our faith with others so they might receive the Holy Spirit and believe. Jesus says in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations,”

Dear Lord, help us keep this order in mind. It first starts with your love for us that saves us, and our love for you that leads us to live the life you want us to. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Some of you may know that I had the privilege of being a fighter pilot for a long time in the US Air Force. One of the things we trained for routinely was called Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) more commonly known as “Dog fighting,” where two jets would maneuver through the sky in an effort to get in a position to shoot the other jet with guns or missiles. One of the most important concepts in this process was never to lose sight of the opponent. We had an expression that spelled it out “lose sight, lose fight.”

Somewhat similarly, Paul writes in Hebrews 12:1,2, “..And let us run the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith..”

We can endure the hardships and challenges of life, and the Christian life, by keeping our eyes on Jesus. When we look away and lose sight of him, we begin losing our fight with the temptations of life.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being the focal point of our faith. Help us remember to keep our eyes of faith on you so that we may be able to run the Christian race with endurance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

As a child, do you remember asking for the “secret password” when your sibling or parent knocked on the door to come into your room, or watching children’s shows and the characters had a “clubhouse” that they would require a secret password to be allowed in?

That is in some ways how I read Psalm 100:4, speaking about God, it says, “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.”

The secret password for gaining entry into God’s gates and court are thanks and praise. Before our prayers and petitions are allowed in God’s presence, we need to give him thanks and praise.

Dear Lord, we come to you with our thanks for giving us our savior Jesus Christ and for the important things in our lives, our families, friends, our health. We recognize all that we have is just on loan from you. We praise you for your awesome power and love for us. Help us remember to come to you with our thanks and praise first. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

You may have read or heard the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It is often misunderstood as to say give thanks “for” all circumstances, which has a significantly different meaning.

We all experience things we wish would not have happened, accidents, tragedies, etc. and although sometimes God gives us these things to help us grow, it would be a strange to be thankful for something terrible that happens to us. We can, however, be thankful “in all circumstances.” so when good things or bad things are happening, we live with a thankful heart; Thankful for being saved through Jesus and given eternal life, and thankful that God is there with us through all our circumstances.

Dear Lord, thank you for being with us in all that we face giving us the strength to handle anything we encounter. Help us show that strength in our lives to bring glory to you and show others the joy of being Christian. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.