By Faith Abraham Obeyed

Hebrews 11:8-19 

Consider this definition of faith, “Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true.  Its primary idea is trust.  A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust.”  Belief in God demands that we trust in Him.  Those who believe in God know in their heart that He will do as He has promise no matter how impossible that seems at the time.  Abraham was a man who trusted in God’s promises even when he could not see how they could possibly be fulfilled.

We know that Abraham was a man of great faith.  Only through faith was Abraham able to leave behind all he knew to set out on a journey toward an unseen destination.  Only by faith could Abraham offer his promised son to God trusting that He was able to raise him again.  It is well worth the time to read about Abraham.  His story is told to us in the book of Genesis beginning in chapter 11.

Looking at Abraham’s life we see that, though he possessed great faith, he was not perfect.  Yes, even Abraham had his faults.  Knowing this ought to encourage us.  We can have faith in spite of our flews.  We need not give up when we stumble.  We need not abandon hope because we cannot be perfect.  We, like Abraham, can be people of great faith if, like Abraham, we keep our eyes on God.  We must trust God and we must act on that trust.

Another lesson we learn from Abraham is that those who trust in God are not limited by age.  Abraham was nearly seventy-five years old when he left Haran on his way to Canaan.  Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born.  Looking to Abraham as our example, how can we say we are too old, or too young, to be of any use?  Abraham has taught us that what seems impossible to us is possible with God if we trust in Him.

In love,

Thomas Sneed

Pond Church of Christ