Daily Light - February 9, 2011

Daily Light from the Lighthouse
40 Days of Faith

"God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us."

Hebrews 11:40

Here at the end of this great chapter of the Bible, we have to step back and see the big picture of God's work. What has God been doing through His children on this earth since the Garden and better yet than before time as we know it began? How does the faith of these Old Testament saints work together with our faith today to form what is perfect?

Unfortunately, we live by time and dates. We like to place every thing in a neat little package of circumstances and events. Many like to take the whole of the Word of God and separate it out into certain distinctions and dispensations. While we may see different things in particular time frames, the work of God is an all encompassing power that cannot be contained. Think of it this way and see if it sounds powerful to you. The faith of Abraham and Moses is not complete without your faith. That sounds strange doesn't it, but in some way that is what the Bible teaches.

There is a verse in the book of Ephesians that sums it up this way: "I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Hebrews 11 is not simply a history of great men and women of God; it is part of our history. God's work in the life of men and women is a continuing work that will last through all of eternity.

There is an argument that often ensues about when the church began. I would contend that in the heart of God it always has been. Maybe it wasn't visible in the sense of a local church until after Pentecost, but who would dare say that these men and women of faith listed here are not part of that church with us? Noah, Isaac, and Rahab are as much of the body of Christ as any of us are. We are a family under the headship of God the Father by the promise of Jesus Christ the Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is why in the very next chapter we see a great cloud of witnesses that has gone before us. That is our family in heaven that have had their faith become sight. As a believer you are part of a rich, spiritual heritage and part of a body that is greater than you could ever imagine. Praise be to God for placing in His family and calling us by His own name!

May you walk by faith today and always!