[:en]BY FAITH (vs. 1-40)
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Here are great men and women commended of their faith:
- Abel – offered God a better sacrifice than Cain
- Enoch – was taken away without experiencing death
- Noah – built an ark to save his family
- Abraham – he went to a place he did not know. He was able to become a father when his age was past. He was willing to sacrifice his one and only son
- Isaac – blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future
- Jacob – blessed each of Joseph’s son when he was dying
- Joseph – spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones
- Moses – refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter but chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He led the people passed the Red Sea
- Joshua – he had people marched around the walls of Jericho for 7 days
- Rahab – she welcomed the spies and was saved when the Israelites conquered Canaan
- Gideon – conquered kingdoms and fought the battle in victory
- Bark – administered justices
- Samson – shut the mouths of the lions
- Jephthah – quenched the fury of flames and escaped the edge of the sword
- David – escaped from King Saul and became the king of Israel
- Samuel – was born through the faith of her mother Hannah and was used by God to become a prophet.
Having a steadfast faith in God does not guarantee a happy carefree life. On the contrary, we may suffer wihout seeing the purpose of our suffering. But we know that God will keep His promise to us. He allows some Christians to become martyrs for the faith while others survive persecution. We can also take comfort in knowing that Jesus also suffered. He understands our fears, our weaknesses, and disappointments. But He promises never to leave us (Mat. 28:18-20) and He always intercedes on our behalf. Trust God in times of pain, suffering and persecution.
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