7 August 2016 - faith is evidence

[ Today's Readings ]

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen. 
Because of it the ancients were well attested.

Faith makes us able to live for a heavenly homeland which we have not yet seen.

But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. 

Faith is not a guess or wishful thinking. It is a realization. It is evidence. It is a response to one who first calls us.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go. 

Faith gives us courage because of the oaths of God. Faith allows us to believe that God is trustworthy even when we can't see him. Even when we don't understand and the circumstances seem irreparable we can have courage.

We are not called to blind faith. Faith may be blind to many things. It may not have objective knowledge of many things. It may not understand everything. But it does know and understand one thing. It knows that God is faithful. It cannot be blind to that.

He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Only knowing this can we live lives which are not afraid, knowing that our Father is pleased to give us a kingdom. Only by faith can we find the money bags that do not wear out and inexhaustible treasure in heaven. By definition we must look past those things that we can see and have knowledge of in favor of the things that we have been promised.

Only by faith can we wait for the master's return from the wedding feast and be ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Without the faith to see this big picture we end up getting drunk and beating the menservants and the maidservants so as to get all we can from what we perceive to be all that is.

God first calls us. So let us respond to God's invitation with faith. Let us fear him and hope in his kindness.  

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.