By David Woods
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.
—Hebrews 11:1
In the Bible the people of God were asked to do one action to be commendable to God. They were told to trust Him. When they gave themselves to the relationship of faith (trust), it gave them hope, and they believed in what awaited them.
Faith and hope are like “cousins.” Where you find faith, you will also find hope.
The list of what people hope for is long: Unity, peace, citizenship, a good job and a roof over their head with food to eat; significance, acceptance, healing of mind and body, identity, security, wealth, control — you know much of the list.
All of us begin as lost people searching for significance. The people of old and the people of today share a common barrier in their search. They think what they are searching for can be found in materialism, positions of power, religion, unrestrained sexual expression, and intellectualism. These are what distract, limit and enslave us, not free us.
The wise king Solomon spoke of his time and ours when he observed, “…there is nothing new under the sun.” The stories of perverted lives running after worldly pursuits reminds me of the picture of a carrot out in front of the horse pulling a heavy cart. Striving for the worldly to satisfy the deep spiritual needs of life is not new.
Here is what I want. I think it might be true for everyone. I want to live forever in a perfect world! Is that even available? The Bible promises that it is.
Is it available in this life? We start it in this life. Is it available to everyone? The answer would be a qualified “Yes.” It is available to everyone who “trusts” in the God of the Bible and His Son, Jesus. That trust is to be verified by obedience.
Is it hard? It is hard from the position of a person’s willingness to trust, obey, and commit to God’s plan. We like to “call the shots” in our life.
Is it dangerous? Yes!
It is so dangerous to Satan and those who have aligned with his lies, that many have gone to prison or have lost their lives in this life for trusting in Jesus and telling others the way to faith.
What if I don’t want to trust God? That’s your choice. What you choose with an earthly life without faith in God is an eternal life without God and without hope! It’s the absolutely number one worst decision in life!
David Woods is a teaching pastor at Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield. This weekly column is written by local clergy members.
