Today Our Daily Bread Hebrews 11

The scripture passages were taken from Rock Church's suggested daily reading schedule for the month of October. Comments are from, ~ Lena's Journalin' ~ which are Lena's own personal notations on each day’s passages.
Hebrews 11:1-40
By Faith We Understand
The Honor Roll of the Faithful
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Faith at the Dawn of HistoryR9
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. 5By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; F43 for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6But 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. 7By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Faithful AbrahamR10 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child F44 when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
The Heavenly Hope
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, F45 embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
The Faith of the PatriarchsR11
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," F46 19concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. 20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
The Faith of Moses
R12 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command. 24By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in F47 Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. By Faith They Overcame30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. 32And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, F48 were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Footnotes
F43: 11:5 Genesis 5:24
F44: 11:11 NU-Text omits she bore a child.
F45: 11:13 NU-Text and M-Text omit were assured of them.
F46: 11:18 Genesis 21:12
F47: 11:26 NU-Text and M-Text read of.
F48: 11:37 NU-Text omits were tempted.
Show cross-references
R9: Gen. 4:1-16; 5:18-24; 6:5!md8:22
R10: Gen. 15:1-6; 21:1-7
R11: Gen. 22:1-14; 48:8-16; 50:22-25
R12: Ex. 2:1-10; 12:31-51
~ Lena’s Journalin’~
Inside of faith is housed the creative works of God’s Spirit, because God is an unseen spirit, we must see as He sees in order to have like-mindedness with Him. The only way to see this way is to look into the unseen realm, where He dwells.
You do believe there are things you cannot see, that are all around us right now? Even our own bodies have so many detailed and important unseen components. Man has so desired to see that which is unseen that he spends billions of dollars in research and lifetimes of time and labor seeking to see what is not yet seen. Even 200 years ago, we could not see the insides of the human body as we do now, and even now we only have a glimpse of its inner workings.
Faith takes what is not seen and believes in it. Faith brings it from the unseen to the seen world. Men had desire to see a heart, believed man had one to see, experience told them there was one there, they told others of what they believed they could see, they believed that and their faith led them to bring it out of the unseen realm into the open and see it, and they did.
God saw us, He saw the worlds, He saw it all, spoke it all into existence after He saw it in the unseen realm. He made molds for each thing in His mind’s eye and formed them with His faith words. His love motivated Him to bring what was unseen to what was seen. It is bigger than just dreaming, but one must dream about what could be, in order to consider believing in it enough to call it forth, giving it shape and substance.
Faith is a substance. The NLT says- confident assurance of what we see. It believes so strongly, that it not only hopes, but actually knows inside and is sure enough to trust and rely on God for ______________. It possesses what it once hoped for. It’s declaration stems from ownership of what has been seen. There is a strong confidence involved in faith. Not confidence in self (confiding in truth, in God’s word, which is truth), not confidence in other men, but a strong reliant confidence in God and His trusted Word.
Will you believe God for something and everything in earth and from hell come to see that it does not happen? YES. But true faith will not give up on it’s word from God and its confidence in God, non matter what.
I always use our names as examples. Can anyone tell you you have another name than the one that was given you? Yes, they can try to tell you that, but do you believe them? No. Can they talk you into or out of it? No, of course not, it is yours, it belongs to you, you own it! When you were in your mother’s womb, in the unseen place, your parents were deciding on your name and some even called you by that name before they ever saw you.(some of that was happening before ultrasound machines showed us the shadows of a baby). Then they put that name on your birth certificate, mailed it in and had it stamped and sealed as being so. In order to change it, you either have to take on another’s name in marriage or change it in court legally and pay a price to do so, having new documents stamped and sealed. Your parents called you that name everyday of your life and now others call you that name. Everyday you sign or write that name. It is Yours and you know it. Is there anything you cannot naturally see, that you believe in as strongly as you do your name? Believing in God that strongly and in Jesus’ sacrifice that strongly, is so pleasing to God. God can trust a person like that with praying for people’s hearts. He can rely on that person to change the earth and the evil effects on it. He can use that person to see beyond the outer crust of people and see deeply into their hearts that are crying out to be seen by God and anyone who will look; to see beyond what appears, like anger, hurt, impossibilities etc., and be willing to be change to that hurting and dying soul.
How can anyone love unconditionally as God does, without seeing by faith? Faith has to work by love and love believes the BEST of every person. What does that mean exactly? It means we at least believe God loves them and wants to save them from the eternal doom and punishment of hell. That my sin separated me from God, and that’s all that keeps them from Him. That receiving Him is not based on how bad, or mean or angry I am at the world, but it is based on a sacrifice that was good enough to cover the multitude of all sin and anything that would try to keep anyone from God’s love. Sin, no matter how gross looking or acting, is keeping me from God’s love for me. Once a person knows God, they cannot help but want to rescue others from that doom and that painful separation. Once a person experiences the true love of God, the desire of their hearts is so greatly stirred that any who they could help know Him as well, would. They cannot stand the fact that any would perish and they want all to have the eternal life they have personally come to know.
Why would somebody give all of their life to this goal and dream? Why would they endure torment? Why would they allow others to beat them down and mock them? Why? Because they’e seen by faith, believe whom they have not seen and are manifesting the one they so long to see in living form everyday.
I have a friend who’s son wants to see God. He was very insistent on, "seeing God". He’s 4. He was so insistent that he cried about it and asked for days. One night at a worship service she was loving on him as he sat in her lap and she said to him, "Hunny see, you are God’s child", he immediately looked up into her face and said, "Mommy, that means you are God!"
Is that true? Is she God?
Gen 1. He made them in His own image, male and female, in the image of God He made them and told them to be fruitful, multiply…., etc. What were they supposed to multiply? Can anybody see God? Jn 1 , In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make…14So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. F1 And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. Rom 8:9 (amp) But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].
Can man see God? His image? His alikeness? What does Christian mean anyway? One who is likened to Christ, One who is like Christ is, as in as Christ is. Little Christs? Yes and Amen.
Ever hear comments of earthly families, "He is JUST the spittin;' image of his father" ? Amen - of our Father (God)
Romans 16:19-20 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Acts 17:6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.