Hebrews 11:32-40 — Faith without the Ful promise

READ THIS: Hebrews 11:32-40

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 
 
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Reread the verses again, slowly. It's easy to skip over the words because there's so much, but reread it slowly and think about what you find to be the most impressive. 

If you have reread, welcome to this paragraph! If not, go read!!! Okay, so. Get this: All of those people from the verses above and the last two weeks who did incredible things out of faith? They didn't receive the full promises of God. They were impressive, and they followed through, but they didn't get God's promises. The full promise is in Jesus. That promise is that we can live forever (without sin) with God in a world recreated into perfection. THAT'S the full promise of God, and we are all waiting for that promise. 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Knowing that you most likely won't see the full promise of God during your lifespan on this earth, do you think you will still be able to have the faith of the people we've been reading about? Why or why not?
 
2. What's the hardest thing for you right now that keeps you from fully following God? What's something hard that you're going through (aka enduring) that makes you doubt God?

TRY THIS:

Talk to God about your answers to questions 1 + 2! A big part of what makes faithful people faithful is that they consistently go to God even when they don't feel Him and especially when they're doubting!

SONG OF THE WEEK:
 
Think some more about standing among the "heroes of the faith" as you listen to this song.





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