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Hebrews 11:39-40
The author of Hebrews sums up the purpose for all these people that he has been showing us as examples of having great faith in God. The common denominator: none of them received/saw the promise to fulfillment but played big roles in the process of bringing the promise to fulfillment for generations to come.
This is an example that the promises of God are not for us as individuals but for all people. That we may be a part of the whole through Christ Jesus, and of the importance of the part that we are given in His will for us.
Many of us (and I would say the vast majority) can look back at the road the Lord has led us down and remember asking, “Why does God have me doing this?” I also believe that many of the things the Lord puts in our hearts to do are things that we will never see the effects of but are meant to be seen by others as we are representations of Christ Jesus, and others are the recipients of how He is using us to touch their lives. It’s not all about us; its about being a representative of Jesus to the world around us so that others will see Jesus through us and be drawn to Him through His Holy Spirit working through us. The commandments that Jesus gives us are not just words to be read but are ways of life to be lived: to put God first in our lives, and to love our neighbor (everyone) as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). As Christians we are the physical example of Jesus living in this world, and our lives should reflect Him in all we do so we can lead others to Him, even when we are not aware of it. God will work through your life if you will put your faith in Him as did the examples that the author of Hebrews speaks of.
Dear LORD,
The author of Hebrews gives us great examples of biblical people playing a great role in Your promises to all the world while not seeing those promises be fulfilled during their lifetime. Please help us to see that You have a purpose for each one of us in growing Your kingdom. Please help us to see that it is not all about us as individuals, but that we are all working together to accomplish Your will for us all – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.