But Recall

 

Hebrews 10:32-35 New King James Version 

32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves [d]in heaven. 35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010%3A32-35&version=NKJV) 

What have you recalled lately? Have you recalled past hurts? Have you recalled regrets and disappointments? Have you recalled a lost loved one? How did the recollection of those events or people affect you? Past events and past relationships are a part of our life, they are things we remember, yet just like the future, they are things that our out of our control. We can either let them consume us or we can dwell on the One who saves us and will judge us. The One that loves us so much to die for us on the cross so we can have eternal life with Him. Let’s look at what God’s Word tells us we should recall. Recall “after you were illuminated” in other words, after the light in your heart came on and you saw the wickedness of your heart and you met the invisible Savior who could clean up that heart, when you accepted Christ as your Savior. 

 For myself, I was a little girl who accepted Christ as my Savior at a young age. I was quiet and it was not like me to use words to declare my Savior but I tried by my actions to live for Him. In middle school, I lost friends that, in their words, “did not want to corrupt me” so they shunned me and made jokes about me or at least I thought they did. Christ walked me through those times and today I know that He cleaned house of the old and gave me new friends that encouraged me in my faith and helped me grow to know my Lord more intimately. I can see how he protected me during those fragile years of my life. I need to recall those times and give Him the glory. Do I fail? Yes. Does He draw me back? Yes. 

 For others, who have come to know Christ as an adult, I have seen radical changes in their lives. They stop drinking, smoking, doing drugs and they become sold on serving Christ no matter the cost. They want to study His Word constantly and ask a lot of questions. Most generally they put older Christians to shame with their new found love for Christ. They make a radical change in their lives and all they want to do is talk about how God changed their lives. Have you been there either as the old or new Christian ? Are you there now? Then something happens and they become the older Christian. So secure in their faith that they forget about where they came from, they are so secure in their faith that they tend to think about it on occasion but they never talk about it. They get stuck in the happenings of the world, perhaps doing things for a good cause, getting involved in their community, and still being radical but for other things, not for Christ. Have you been there? Are you there now? 

The Scripture for today reminds us to hold fast to that faith. Remember the past that changed your life for the better. Remember the One who saved you, the One who died on the cross for your sins, the One who changed you into a person bold in proclaiming your faith, the One who gave you reason to live by faith. Remember the One who protected you from evil or gave you strength in a difficult trial. We should not be ones to want to go back to sin because Christ lives in us. We should not be ones that are so arrogant and proud that we reject those who we see as weak and worthless. We should always be humbled by the One who loved us so much that He gave us the power to change. We should always remember that all the work we do should be to build the Kingdom of God, not for recognition in this World. These works never perish. Our drive should be, when He comes back and we face Him, that we can stand before Him, in faith, and we can hear Him say, “well done” rather than “My soul has no pleasure in you.” Have you been there? Are you there? Recall and be renewed in Him and continue walking in faith and proclaiming Him to the world. 

 Seeing Him with all my heart, 

 Sheila Koop

Faith: Visible vs Invisible

As I opened the Scriptures today God showed me what it truly means to live by faith. A reminder that even though we may feel the pain of the battle, there is One more powerful than us that is fighting the battle. When we decide to step in and fight the battle, that pain becomes unbearable and out of control. Hebrews 10: 26-39 reminds us of the importance of enduring the struggles of this World. 

Hebrews 10:26-39 New King James Version 

The Just Live by Faith 

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. 35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the[h] just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010%3A%2026-39&version=NKJV)      

By Faith We Understand 

Hebrews 11: 1-3

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By 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. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2011%3A1-3&version=NKJV) 

I realize this is a long Scripture passage for a blog but I want you to be able to look at the whole picture not just a part. There is so much we can unpack in this Scripture. As I read this Scripture today, the Lord reminded me to keep my faith no matter what I see or what I hear. That the God of the invisible is the God of truth. Our eyes allow us to see the World and the beauty of His creation but the creation itself, although seen, is a mystery to us, unless we know the One True God. The Creator of this Universe is the One that bears all truth. He is the One that fights our battles for us and He is the only One that can conquer death. Death, a separation from the One who created us which can lead to eternal separation from Him. That sounds quite frightful, doesn’t it? If we do not have faith in this One, if we decide to go our way and not His way because of arrogance, pride, self-determination, and the list goes on, we will find that our faith is in ourselves rather than the One true God and that is very frightful. We will find ourselves trusting in whatever we can do and not dwelling in His peace and assurance of our faith in Him. We begin to do the work rather than allowing Him to do it. When we do this, what seemed at first to be initiative, a good work ethic, a driven person becomes a sinful man/woman desiring their way and not God’s way. We become a broken down person that sees the World in the visible sense, thinking the tangible is what we want and forgetting the God who is invisible in the eyes of man but quite visible in the hearts of those who serve Him. 

 Let’s ponder, however, the vast greatness of a God who cares and loves us so much that He sent His One and Only Son to die for us that we may be able believe on the Name of Jesus and be saved from the destruction of sin. Jesus came to save but when He comes back in all of His glory, He will come to judge us. Will He find us trusting the invisible God or will He find us seeking our own ways? 

 Don’t forget the times that He has delivered you and don’t forget to let Him fight the battles of today, trust in the invisible, give the control to Him and know that He cares for you. 

 Seeking Him with all my heart, Sheila Koop