Finding Our Focus

A devotion that I wrote for our church for Sunday, June 6th. Hebrews 11:1-13

Over on the Eden Seminary campus, above the door of Schultz Hall, there are Greek words that, translated, mean, “that which cannot be seen are eternal.” The whole verse is 2 Corinthians 4:18: “We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal” (CEB). When we have faith, we focus on the eternal—by definition, what is lasting and true.

I thought of that inscription when I read our scripture lesson for this week, especially verse 1: “Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.”

The author of Hebrews begins with creation. The world that we see “the visible came into existence from the invisible.” (verse 3). The miracle of the world is that there is something instead of nothing. We can focus upon the Lord by seeing the wonders of the universe.

Next, the Hebrews author gives us examples of faith on which to focus.

First up is Abel, son of Adam and Eve. What is important here is not what most people remember, which is his murder. What is important is that the Lord regarded Abel’s offering as more acceptable than Cain’s. Why? Abel’s offering was a lamb, the first and best that he had. We read that Cain only brought “an offering,” fruit from the ground but not necessarily his best crop. Abel, by giving a costly sacrifice, demonstrated true faith.

Abel’s faith is so legendary that his faith still speaks. The legacy of faith and service that one leaves behind has an impact on generations of people to come.

Next on the writer’s list of faith heroes is Enoch, who appears in Genesis 5:21-24. He was a man of faith who “walked with God” for 300 years, after which God took him up. Enoch had a lifelong, faithful relationship to God. The basic orientation of his life was toward God.

The Hebrews author looks at Noah and Abraham and Sarah. God warned Noah about what was coming, “events he hadn’t seen yet” (verse 7). Noah could not see God, nor see into the future. But through faith, he trusted God, and his faith and obedience was exemplary amid the wickedness of his world.

Abraham took action when he, like Noah, demonstrated the conviction of faith. Abraham “went out without knowing where he was going” when God called him. He followed God to a new land—but also toward “to a city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (verse 10). Even with their faith struggles and failures, Abraham and Sarah both trusted that they would have many descendants, even though they were quite old.

Because God is eternal and we’re not, we’ll never know all the outcomes of our faith. “All these people died in faith without receiving the promises, but they saw the promises from a distance and welcomed them. They confessed that they were strangers and immigrants on earth” (verse 13). But this, too, is comforting, because we’re freed to follow God and trust that the Spirit will multiply the value of our faith and our efforts.

Prayer: Dear Lord, may we focus you, so that when we are gone, we may leave a legacy of faith to inspire others to love and serve you. Amen.