Verse of the Day 9/8

 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  New King James Version (NKJV)

 

Last night we kicked off the fall seasons for our high school youth group "Uprising".  Today's verse was the focus of the message for the night and actually a focus for the coming year.  In the NKJV faith is referred to as the "substance" while in other translations it is referred to as the assurance, the reality, a firm foundation and it is fundamental in our full confidence in the things hoped for.

 

The leaders were asked to share a one minute testimony of their faith experience with their students.  A one minute testimony, that's hard to do.  We had been asked to do that before we heard the message which focused on this verse.

 

In a nutshell, my testimony was that I was brought up in a Christian home and came to receive Christ as my Savior when I was seven years old but I truly came to know Him later in life through and beyond the difficult moments, those trials in my life.  I remember reading today's verse in my devotions on the morning of which would usher me into the "dark valley"  in my life.  The rest of my life has been coming to learn, understand and believe that faith is substance, it is tangible, it is real.  There is strong evidence of it even though it is something that is not seen.

 

Those who don't have faith in Christ look at it as something "wishy washy", nebulous,  or even foolish.  But for those of us who have it and hold onto it is the substance, the assurance and the reality for our hope for our future, an eternity with Christ.

It is a faith that overcomes.  An old hymn gives us the reminder of one more quality of faith, it is the victory.

 

Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory, that overcomes the world.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

 

Hebrews 11:1The Message (MSG)

Faith in What We Don't See

11  ^1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.