Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: Hebrews 11

  • Devotional of the week: Aim at heaven (11 in Pilgrim series)

    Photo: Baigal Byamba, flickr
    Photo: Baigal Byamba, flickr

    All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13–16).

    A couple of years ago, as we and our children were discussing the evening’s Bible story – Jesus with the woman at the well – we talked about nationalities, for Jesus as a Jewish man talking with a Samaritan woman would have broken social conventions. We discussed national allegiances, for our children have two: British and American. To which my son said that he felt more British than American – to my chagrin but not to my surprise.

    The kids – and now I – have dual citizenship, but as Christians we all have dual or triple or more citizenship, with our most important passport aligning us to the heavenly country. We hold our earthly citizenship lightly, knowing that our lives here are an itty bitty dot compared with the length of eternity.

    These verses from Hebrews underline how the ancients were living in view of heaven. The passage forms an interlude, when the writer pauses in his great list of the heroes who lived by faith to emphasize their eternal perspective. As with the psalm we read last week that spoke of being a foreigner and stranger, the heroes listed in Hebrews also knew that their heavenly passport was the important one.

    Are we living in the light of eternity? One way I like to get heaven into my imagination, so to speak, is to chew over the last chapters of Revelation. The imagery soaks into my heart and mind, and for a few minutes at least the cares of this world lessen.

    For reflection: “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you get neither” (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity).

  • Devotional of the week: Hebrews 12:1–3 (8 in series)

    Our Crown

     

    Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1–3)

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    The Carolingian octagon from Aachen Cathedral in Germany. A grand crown indeed, but must pale in comparison with the one that awaits us in heaven…

    By faith the saints lived and thrived. By faith they built an ark, made their home in a foreign land, bore a child in old age, left Egypt, passed through the Red Sea, made the walls of Jericho to tumble. All of this build up from Hebrews 11 – the rhetorical device of the “example list,” which ancient writers employed to call their listeners to action – leads to a great “therefore.”

    Therefore, says the writer to the Hebrews, let us run our race with perseverance as we fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the ultimate hero of our faith. He is the culmination of the amazing acts and supernatural feats. He endured the shame of the cross to draw us close to his Father, that we might enjoy a life of fruitfulness, joy, and peace.

    What race are you running? Perhaps you are young, and you haven’t yet made life-shaping choices – such as travels, marriage, a professional qualification. Maybe you are in midlife, with your path deeply cut in the earth but with many miles yet to traverse. Or perhaps you are nearing the end of your journey, looking back over a life that had its share of potholes but also buried treasure in the road as well.

    Wherever we are, may we slough off whatever is keeping us from running with joy and appropriate speed. In times of weariness may we look to Jesus to refresh us in body, mind, and spirit. In times of joy may we share our wonder and gratitude with him, the author and perfecter of our faith. And with the saints of old, may we too finish our race in a way to get the prize, the crown that lasts forever (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

     

    For prayer and reflection: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:4)

     

  • Devotional of the week: Hebrews 11:32–40 (7 in series)

    Delayed gratification

    These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:32–40)

     

    Suffering because of skin color. A statue to commemorate the people sold as slaves in Zanzibar, at what is now an Anglican Cathedral but used to be the site of a slave market.
    Suffering because of skin color. A statue to commemorate the people sold as slaves in Zanzibar, at what is now an Anglican Cathedral but used to be the site of a slave market.

    The writer to the Hebrews wraps up his discussion of the heroes of faith in this hodgepodge list of people, triumphs, and tragedies. Through faith they did some amazing feats, such as shutting the mouths of lions and quenching the fury of flames. But they also faced torture, chains, imprisonment, persecution, and mistreatment. And horrible deaths: by stoning, being sawn in two, by the sword.

    Not exactly a list of experiences we’re eager to embrace. Nor to advertise to people who are curious about the Christian faith. “Yes, become a Christian and you too could endure ridicule and maltreatment!” Sometimes instead we highlight only the amazing promises of God – that he will never leave us, that when we walk through the river the waves will not submerge us, that he loves us with an everlasting love.

    But because we live in a fallen world, which is not as God intended it, we may experience house fires and breast cancer. We may lose our jobs or our spouses to a roving eye and hand. God doesn’t cause these horrible experiences, but he allows them. Why? We just don’t know. At these times, perhaps more than ever, we need to cling to God’s faith-building promises while sinking back into his everlasting arms. And to know that God has something better for us planned, such as our home in heaven.

    None of these heroes – Abraham and Moses nor Gideon and David – received what they had been promised. But they welcomed it from a distance. May we who have the gift of the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – live in a manner worthy of our callings. May God increase in us our faith, that we too may be heroes who welcome God’s promises, perhaps also at a distance.

     

    For prayer and reflection: “God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of emotional enjoyment of his blessings…. Faith by its very nature must be tested and true.” Oswald Chambers

     

  • Devotional of the week: Hebrews 11:20-31 (6 in series)

    Invisible One

     

    By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. (Hebrews 11:20-31)

    A stained-glass window from Galway Cathedral, depicting some of the unseen realm.
    A stained-glass window from Galway Cathedral, depicting some of the unseen realm.

    A couple of years ago I was praying with a friend, whose father died not long before. She told me how her sister and mother visited a medium and had “called up” her father. Being fairly new in her faith, my friend was unsure whether this was really her father or not.

    She and I spoke about the unseen realm, and how Satan uses his powers to make otherwise unexplainable things happen. I warned that things like mediums and horoscopes are his tool. Having edited a book about a woman who nearly committed suicide after being embroiled in the occult, I told my friend of the dark power of these tools, but also of our God’s ultimate victory. (And I know I’m being controversial in making such statements…)

    Our passage today reminds us of God’s power in the unseen realm. When God first called Moses to be his leader, Moses was reticent and fearful, saying that Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to him.  Over time, Moses’ faith was built strong and firm as he witnessed God’s faithfulness through plague after plague on the Egyptians, when Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Israelites go. Finally by the time of this tenth plague of the firstborn, Moses knew without a doubt that God was real, even though Moses couldn’t see him.

    I sometimes wonder why God had to send so many plagues, especially when he kept hardening Pharaoh’s heart time after time. Maybe it was partly to show Moses that he was faithful and in control. To hone Moses’ leadership skills and teach him to follow God so that he could in turn lead God’s people.

    My friend’s father loved Jesus, so one day she will be reunited with him in heaven. May she, like Moses, persevere because she sees the one who is invisible. And may our eyes be open to see his face this day.

     

    Have you come in contact with things of the occult? Consider how you can know when spiritual practices are from God or from the evil one.

  • Devotional of the week: Hebrews 11:13–19 (5 in series)

    Our biggest test

     

    By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” (Hebrews 11:13–19)

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    A cross from Canterbury Cathedral, marking the spot where Thomas Becket was murdered. Makes me wonder what sort of implement Abraham held over Isaac. His son was saved, but the Father God’s was not.

     

    Our passage in Hebrews doesn’t gloss over the challenges that the heroes of the faith endured. One of the most moving is Abraham’s test in relinquishing his firstborn son, Isaac. Here God seems to be asking the impossible of Abraham – to sacrifice what Abraham thought fulfilled God’s promises. Abraham couldn’t conceive of how God would rectify matters, but went ahead in building the altar and arranging the wood, and even in binding up Isaac. What fear father and son must have felt when Abraham drew back his knife in obedience.

    But God didn’t make Abraham follow through, promising instead that Abraham would have as many descendents as the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore. By faith Abraham passed God’s test, having followed God for many years. He had learned how to obey God’s instructions, even when he didn’t understand why or how God would make things right.

    What about us? Have we learned how to discern God’s voice that we might obey with a willing heart, like Abraham did? What’s our greatest point of need? We might be praying for a wayward child. We might long to marry or have children or grandchildren. We might yearn for some strong and healthy friendships. We might be hoping for a home that will bring peace and refreshment to our family and visitors. We might be seeking paid employment that employs our passions and our gifts.

    In all these things God wants to meet our needs, “according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He might test us to hone our listening skills, that we may hear his voice more clearly. But he will never fail us – he who sacrificed his only son that we might live.

     

    Father God, you didn’t stop your son being slain on the altar, a worthy sacrifice for our sins. Thank you.

  • Devotional of the week: Hebrews 11:8–12 (4 in series)

    Strangers and foreigners

     

    By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country… (Hebrews 11:8–12)

    My great-grandfather was a pilgrim to a strange land. In 1898 he left Germany for America, having to renounce his German citizenship. This windmill was built in the village he lived in before he was born, which we visited in 2006.
    My great-grandfather was a pilgrim to a strange land. In 1898 he left Germany for America, having to renounce his German citizenship. This windmill was built in the village he lived in before he left, which we visited in 2006.

     

    A closeup from the windmill - faith, hope, and love.
    A closeup from the windmill – faith, hope, and love.

     

    One US Independence Day, I was ending a silent retreat at an Anglican convent before traveling back to Washington, DC to watch the fireworks by the Lincoln Memorial. While on retreat God had impressed on my heart the story of Abraham, especially from these verses in the book of Hebrews. Here was one who left his home and became a stranger living in a foreign land.

    I felt like the Lord was speaking to me through Abraham’s story. For I had been asking God to confirm whether it was right to marry the Englishman I had been dating. I sensed that the marriage was right, but I was starting to see that it would not be without cost. I also caught the irony – as I was celebrating our nation’s independence from the British, I was also affirming that eventually I would become a subject of the Queen.

    Abraham obeyed and went, not knowing where he was going. For me, in my excitement to marry my beau, I hadn’t considered that I might have to obey God in this union. For although I had visited the UK, I didn’t know where we would be living. I would not have guessed that we would move three times in our first five years. Or of the crushing homesickness that I would feel for my family. I didn’t know it then, but by faith I too would need to make my home in this promised land.

    And though the UK is now home, I often with Abraham long for the heavenly city. When I’m missing my American people or links, I try to cast my mind on the city where there will be no more mourning or crying or pain, where we will live in amazing unity and joy. Come, Lord Jesus.

     

    Father God, we often feel like strangers here on earth, whether in the country of our birth or another. Take this dissonance and use it for your glory.

     

  • Devotional of the week: Hebrews 11:4–7 (3 in series)

    Holy fear

    By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. (Hebrews 11:4–7, TNIV)

     

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    St Michael defeating Satan, a sculpture at Coventry Cathedral

    The unknown writer of the book of Hebrews was warning his readers, who were Jewish converts to Christianity, not to give up on their new faith. The first flowering of their enthusiasm had died down, and now they were wondering if the sometimes hard life of faith was worth the slog. Yes, says the writer resoundingly.

    Just look at Noah, he says. Here’s a man who acted in holy fear, obeying God’s instructions. The flood was far away, and yet Noah endured the whispering campaigns of the townspeople who thought he had gone crazy or was weirdly overzealous for his faith. Noah kept on building, gathering the materials and then the animals for the great escape. By obeying – by an active exercise of faith – he became an heir of righteousness. That is, he and his family inherited the good things that God had set aside for them.

    Holy fear – just two words, but they seem to shout out from this passage. Often today we don’t think of holy fear when we think of God, as we join our children in singing that “Jesus is my best friend” or when we see God as the lover of our souls. I don’t want to dismiss intimacy with God through these and other expressions, but rather to hold them in tension with a holy reverence for the God who is without blemish or impurity. When we worship God in his holiness, we bow down in humility and offer up our hearts to him in obedience.

    Today may we fall on our knees before God, literally or figuratively. Though his holiness could consume us, yet he beckons us onto holy ground, drawing us near. May his purity fill and transform us this day.

     

    Think and pray over Genesis 6:9: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”

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  • Devotional of the week: Hebrews 11:1–3 (2 in series)

    By faith

    “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1–3, NIV)

    Photo by runran as found on Flickr
    Photo by runran as found on Flickr

    By faith Abel… By faith Enoch… By faith Noah… By faith Abraham… By faith Sarah… Hebrews 11 is chock-full of ordinary people who believed that God would do what he promised. They are therefore known as the heroes of our faith.

    We live in their shadows, which can be intimidating. We might think, “I’m just a mother trying to get through the day without shouting my head off at my kids.” Or, “I’m older and can’t find work; I’m not sure if God will provide a job for me, much less ask me to perform some amazing act of faith.” Or, “My biggest accomplishment today will be loving my cranky parent, who is not ageing gracefully.” How can we who aren’t escaping death or building an ark or becoming the father of nations also be heroes of the faith?

    The answer is simple, but not easy – by faith. By believing that God loves us and wants the best for us. By holding an active confidence in him as the One who provides us not only with jewels and fine linen to wear, but living water to slake our thirst and bread that truly satisfies. By knowing that God presides at the center of the unseen realm, which is greater than our physical world.

    And so by faith we can shoot up an arrow prayer to God, asking him to reign in our tongues when we’re about to spew angry words at our children. We can look to him for the strength to keep hunting down that elusive job, knowing that in his time he will provide. And to ask him to show us our parent as he sees them, drawing forth the real person who may be cowering in fear and uncertainty.

    By faith, your name here…

     

    Lord Jesus, I often feel like I’m hiding in the corner, lacking faith. Fill me with your grace and love, that I might believe in your promises.

     

  • Devotional of the week – Hebrews 11 (1 in series)

    Faith in Action

    Having delved into Psalm 18 over the past weeks, next I’d like to look at Hebrews 11, which I believe is one of the great passages in the Bible. It’s the long list of people from the Old Testament whom the writer to the Hebrews commends as heroes of the faith. These were people who believed that God would do what he promised. And so they obeyed, all the while risking ridicule, leaving their homelands, wandering in deserts, and experiencing miracles.

    heroAt the heart, they held to promises from God, whom they couldn’t see. They knew that the spiritual realm is real, even if unseen. And this faith, this confidence, spurred them on to great things. Accomplishments they never would have imagined before God led them and sparked the ideas in their minds.

    We might feel overawed by this list of bravery and victory. But the writer to the Hebrews wants us to be encouraged and filled with faith, just as they were. They didn’t belong to a more holy class of people; for instance, in fear Abraham passed off his wife as his sister; Moses killed an Egyptian in anger; David slept with another man’s wife and had the husband killed. But the writer to the Hebrews doesn’t mention any of these failings. Instead he focuses on what they achieved, hand-in-hand with God.

    And this list of amazing ancients crescendos in the ultimate hero – Jesus. He is the “pioneer and perfecter” of our faith (12:2). He endured the cross that we might be free from bondage to sin. And so, says the unknown writer to this group of Jewish converts, don’t give up on your faith. Keep running the race. Throw off the things that are pulling you down and making you want to give up.

    So too for us. Are we tired and weary, tempted to believe the lies of the evil one that God doesn’t care for us or that he can’t really make a difference in our lives? Perhaps we don’t believe that God truly loves us. Or maybe our lives haven’t gone the way we had hoped.

    But as we see in this passage in Hebrews, we’ve got a “cloud of witnesses’”(12:1) surrounding us, cheering us on. And not only the ancients, but angels and even Jesus himself. Let’s run the race with perseverance. And with joy.

     

    Prayer: Lord God, we fall and we fail. And yet, we see how you can use and redeem people deemed failures by the standards of the world. Build our faith today, that we might be heroes. Amen.