Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” God gives us all a measure of faith which we then have responsibility for to believe and act on. My problems arise when I enter into unbelief which comes from a disorderly heart eating from the wrong “tree,” that is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (which God forbade us to eat from in Genesis 2) accompanying my reason. We deem it our “right” to know and understand everything in our lives, but God created us and intended that we were never meant to “know,”…..only to know God and trust Him with the unknown.
Throughout Abraham’s earthly journeys he looked for “a city whose foundations, builder and maker is God,” Hebrews 11:10. The whole of Hebrews 11 lists our pioneering Patriarchs of the faith and their acts, and yet verses 39-40 reveal “And all these having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they, without us, should not be made perfect.” How astounding! Their report is something to be taken notice of. They were all in faith and yet they did not receive the promise….”God having provided some better thing for us,”…how exciting!
What is the “promise?” Could it be the fulfillment of the Day of Fullness?….our Promised Land, the day we can live in a land “flowing with milk and homey,” here on earth.
The fulfillment of the promises of God are a Believer’s birthright but the sovereignty of God is also tied up to human responsibility:
WHAT MUST GOD DO BECAUSE I CANNOT?….SOVEREIGNTY. WHAT MUST I DO BECAUSE HE WILL NOT?….HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY. God’s sovereignty gloves my choice.
Choice is an activity on my part that still needs to be married to the sovereignty of God. My choice is limited except where it is gloved by the sovereignty of God, which then causes me to fulfill my divine destiny. Hebrews 10:40 “God having provided some better thing for us,” …..today we have opportunity to receive the Promise. If I walk in resistance to the Holy Spirit in my pride, God will not bring me to the place of fulfillment because God resists the proud…1 Peter 5:5 “…all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
In humility I can make a right choice but I still need the sovereignty of God to bless my choice and bring me to fulfillment of His promises. On the other hand, when I walk in pride and resistance to Him, I am also making a choice, a wrong one, resulting in not receiving the fulfillment of His promises to me. When I insist on having my own way, stand up for my rights – whether just or unjust, God will step back and leave me to the painful consequences of my choice and the loss of His Presence.
NEVER SURRENDER HIS PRESENCE TO A “SITUATION,” ….we have all done it and suffered the consequences! Thank God that in His unfailing love, He has made a way through Calvary for us to repent and be reconciled and restored to Him and know again, the sunshine and warmth of His smile upon our lives.
Consider the course of a river. It begins as a spring from high ground and gathers momentum and volume until it reaches it’s destiny – sea level, where it joins an ocean. The course of a river is destined. Along it’s descent to sea level it will meet many obstacles, some rocky outcrops, but it will always follow the path of least resistance and wind it’s way down to reach it’s destiny, the fullness of the ocean.
God permits many things in my life that He could prevent in His power. Why?…His workings in my life, when I do not resist Him, bring me to a place where the Indwelling Christ may dwell comfortably in my earthly tabernacle, to the end that He might manifest His character and life through me to extend His kingdom , for His glory. It is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me, (Galatians 2:20,) Is my flesh life still seeking it’s own way, or do I allow “Christ in me” to live His life through me to glorify God? When I walk in humility and choose the path of least resistance to God, God will fulfill His divine destiny in my life, and like the river, I will meet the fullness of the ocean.
CHRIST IN ME IS INVINCIBLE….this is solid ground. I must not make the mistake of thinking “I am invincible in Christ,”….the order is wrong. My confidence is in God alone. The sovereignty of God protects the glory of God.
“Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. Amen,” Matthew 6:13. My life is not my own anymore, I am bought with a price – the precious blood of Jesus. It is all about Him now…not me.
