Thought for March 14, 2024

•  1794: Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin
• 1885: Gilbert & Sullivan's "Mikado" premiers
• 1900: U.S. goes on the gold standard
• 1913: South African Supreme Court declares all non-Christian marriages invalid--voids all Muslim and Hindu marriages
• 1950: FBI's "10 Most Wanted Fugitives" program begins
• 2017: World's oldest golf club, Muirfield in Scotland, votes to admit women after 273 years
• Born: Albert Einstein, Frank Borman, Kirby Puckett, Stephen Curry, Simone Biles
• Died: Karl Marx, George Eastman, Susan Hayward, Stephen Hawking

Thought:

I have been leading a study in Sunday School through the Book of Hebrews. Jan and I planned to be out of town last Sunday and next Sunday attending basketball tournaments with the Belmont teams. Larry Swift is leading the Hebrews study on these Sundays in chapter 11 of Hebrews. This is the faith chapter. Today and tomorrow my thoughts are focused on a couple of verses from this chapter.

Take a look at 11:3. "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."  This is a continuation of the thought in 11:1--"faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction/evidence of things not seen." Amazing that the writer's teaching on faith begins with these truths. Think about this:

• Understanding requires faith. Often I do not understand what God in His sovereignty is doing. I don't understand the why or the timing. In order to understand, faith is required. I have to have faith in the character of God, the love of God, the plan of God, the purpose of God in order to grasp the moving of God. Often my lack of understanding is a sign that I do not trust God. He said He would never leave me or forsake me. Circumstances seem to challenge that. Faith allows me to rest in Him and perhaps understand how He is working. He tells me He has a plan for my good, but sometimes I wonder about the things that are happening. Faith allows me to trust His promises even when for the immediate time, I don't understand. My problem is usually a lack of faith that leads to a lack of understanding. 
• I was not present when God said let there be light, but by faith I believe He did. I did not observe Jesus create all things that are visible, but by faith, I believe He did. 11:1 tells me faith is the evidence of things not seen--so while I did not see creation, by faith I believe that God did it through Jesus. 
• Now the big one--the visible things were created out of invisible things. WOW! How could this be? Then it comes to me--love is invisible, but there are visible things that are evidence of love. Hope is invisible, but there are visible things that are evidence of hope. Patience is invisible, but there is visible evidence that it exists. God is the giver of every good and perfect gift, they come down from the Father of Lights. The most valuable gifts of God are invisible, but the evidence of those gifts is visible. 

So today, I want the invisible gifts of God in Christ in my life to bear visible evidence for the world to see. That is a part of my witness of the hope that lies within me. Lord, make Your invisible gifts evident in my walk today.

Blessings

Larry