Heroes: January 19, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 19, 2012

HEROES

DEFINITION:

One admired for courage, fortitude or nobility; one known for brave deeds.

SCRIPTURE:

These all died in faith. Hebrew 11: 13.

For living to me means simply “Christ” and if I die I should merely gain more of Him. Philippians 1:20. (J B PHILLIPS TRANSLATION)

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

All of us during our lifetime have had heroes in our lives. When we were younger we had many more heroes than now. Part of that was due to our age and lack of maturity. Over the years we have seen some of our heroes fail in some way and burst our so called bubble, because we thought they were the greatest. It is a great disappointment when someone turns out not to be what we thought they were.

In Hebrews chapter 11, we read about heroes of faith from the Old Testament. They include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah. When you look to the Bible for your heroes in life you will find role models that you can confidently build your life upon.

The key to those that are listed above in Hebrews 11, is that they all lived by faith. If we pick these as our heroes and our role models and want to be like them we need to do all we can to live by faith as they did. In their faith they found their comfort, their daily guide, their motive for living and their support.

They believed the promises that came from God and lived their lives relying on these promises. They were assured that their sins were blotted out through the mercy of God. These heroes were confident of their acceptance by God. They enjoyed living in His love and resting in His faithfulness.

They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth just as we are as believers today. They were looking forward to a country of their own, a better place than where they were or had been. They all were looking for their heavenly home and knew that one day they would arrive their and live an eternity with their maker. Is this the kind of hero you have chosen in your life?

In the verse we have written above from Hebrews 13 we read that they all died in faith. Dying in faith looks to the future. They died as men and women of faith. They knew that faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance for what we cannot see. They died knowing that the Messiah would surely come and one day they would rise from their graves to behold Him in the air.

Faith was the orbit that these heroes moved in while they were here on this earth. If you are looking for heroes in your life, look no further than these heroes we read about in Hebrews. And you can be a hero just like them if you will look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. Thank God today for giving you similar faith like He gave those great Bible heroes of faith who are now in glory.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

PRAYER:

As my family picks heroes in our lives help us to understand that we need to look up to men and women who lived lives of faith. Help us to live our lives daily with the faith that You give us so that others will look to us as a person of great faith and devotion to You.