The Greater Reward Of Faith

A. 1 Pet. 5:10, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after
you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
Some body once said, “The principle part of faith is patience.” Our first reaction might be to
disagree and say that trust is the principle part of faith. But when You read the Bible a lot you realize
that just might be true.
(2) Every example of faith in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews is an instance of someone whose trust in God made him or her willing to work and to wait and to endure hardship. Because it has confidence in God, real faith does not give up. It will hold a steady course for a long, long time. Ever wonder why we grow impatient and give up?
a. Maybe it’s because we have unrealistic expectations of life. We imagine that
the good life is one without any significant difficulty, hardships. So we hurry as quickly as
possible through the times of struggle and hardship. We take for granted that a person should “retire” as soon as possible. We are eager to get past our obstacles and reap the rewards of our work.
(1) But if we put more emphasis on our destination. We end up not really appreciating the
journey itself. After all, isn’t half the fun in getting there? “The most glorious moments in
your life are not the so?called days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection
and despair you rise to the challenges of life, and the promise of future
accomplishments.” That’s what makes real spiritual growth happen in your life.
(2) We often think that God will remove all obstacles instantly and the patho of obedience will be both easy and pleasant. The truth is, that the journey toward God often takes us through canyons of darkness and difficulty. And for new Christians, it is often true that things appear to get worse before they begin to get better.
b. Yes, it is hard to keep from getting impatient. But here is where faith comes in. The greater reward of faith is its ability to bear a heavy burden and still keep going.
What most of us need to hear every day is what the Hebrew writer said to his doubtful, discouraged Christians of the first century in Heb. 10:36, “You have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
(3) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 01/26/03 pm