What more can I say? I would run out of time if I told you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through faith they conquered kingdoms, brought about justice, realized promises, shut the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped from the edge of the sword, found strength in weakness, were mighty in war, and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured and refused to be released so they could gain a better resurrection. But others experienced public shame by being taunted and whipped; they were even put in chains and in prison. They were stoned to death, they were cut in two, and they died by being murdered with swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats, needy, oppressed, and mistreated. The world didn’t deserve them. They wandered around in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. All these people didn’t receive what was promised, though they were given approval for their faith. God provided something better for us so they wouldn’t be made perfect without us. So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. (Hebrews 11:32—12:2, CEB)
“Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
There are so many in the scripture who lived their lives in the hope of what God was doing. In the promises that would be fulfilled.
We too can live in faith and hope. Fixing our eyes upon Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfector. The one who gave us what we believe in and perfected that faith by trusting in the plan He did not really see.
I had a shirt many years ago with the saying Cross-eyed on it with a Cross, and Hebrews 12:2. Fix your eyes upon Jesus, be cross-eyed.
That is how we survive life and how those named in Hebrews 11 survived. They lived in faith, trusting God in everything.
ii
Be Cross Eyed! As you look at the two i-s above look at the white space between them, it makes a cross. When we focus on the cross we keep Christ center and allow our faith to guide us.
Focus on Jesus and live by faith.
aSacredRebel 