Have a Good Friday

I jumped around a bit today ... and I apologize for the lack of graphics today, but I have to get to work soon.

It's Good Friday, and I wanted to read a little about Jesus' sacrifice, our atonement, and His position.  So, naturally, I found myself reading Hebrews.

I read through the first three chapters, thinking "this is important, this is good."  But--due to my upbringing--I'd seen it all, heard it all, even memorized most of it ...

And then, a verse I've read who knows how many times hit me.  At the risk of taking it out of context, Hebrews 4:2 says, "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."  (emphasis mine--I suddenly feel like a real author, typing that phrase!)

The passage around this verse is about the differences between Moses and Jesus, the people of ancient Israel during the Exodus and the early Church.  Moses delivered the message, but the people missed it because they didn't believe.  They were afraid to enter the Promised Land.  They weren't sure they would survive, they weren't sure it was worth it.  They didn't really BELIEVE that God had their best interest at heart.

The early Church, on the other hand, BELIEVED that this message was for them.  They embraced the atonement, the sacrifice, the propitiation of their sins.  They didn't UNDERSTAND it all (and neither do I), but that didn't stop their BELIEF.

It really does come down to FAITH.  It's a choice.  I know this may sound silly, but I believe in gravity.  I can't see it, I can't touch it, but I trust that it will keep me from randomly drifting off the ground.  No one has ever seen gravity.  Everyone has seen its effect.  Not everyone has recognized it for what it is, but it has always been here.  See a parallel?

I BELIEVE in God.  I haven't seen Him, but I've seen what He has done.  Not everyone recognizes His actions for what they are like I do, but I don't believe that changes the substance of what He has done.

For having blind faith, I sure can see a lot ...

          Lord, help me to believe better.  I don't want Your message for my life to be missed because I don't have the faith to see it or hear it for what it is.