And that’s what distinguishes the faith of Abraham. With no ‘directions’ other than “leave house and homeland, and go to the land I will show you” Abraham “obeyed, and went out not knowing where he was going” (Gen. 12:1-2; Heb. 11:8). Who does that?
What a lesson in faith. With nothing more than a promise, Abraham believed God's destiny (destination) for him. Are we believers? Are we willing to go the course, with no directions, and no map? Someone has said “Even though Abraham didn’t know where he was going, he knew Who he was going with.” Centuries later, Jesus looked at a ‘lost’ generation, and simply said, “Follow me.”
The very title of your posting made me think about Hebrews 11:27: "By faith he forsook Egipt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible" He was his only reference.
ReplyDeleteSince I love to get into the original meaning of words, I looked up the word in Greek for "endured" and it is the word "kartereo" which means: to be strong, i.e (fig.) steadfast (patient); hold out, bear the burden.
Steadfast: fixed in direction, steadily directed: a steadfast gaze. Firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc.; as a person: a steadfast friend; unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc.
Firm: fixed in place or position; sure, dependable, reliable. Steadfast literally means fixed in place but it's chiefly used fig. indicating undeviating constancy or resolution: steadfast in one's faith. Antonyms to that would be "capricious" or "variable".
thank you so much, Patricia, for adding to the post with your word studies. I realized what an 'oxymoron' it is to "see Him who is invisible!" Or, the other thought I have is of a treasure map that requires a 'key' to unlock the meaning of it! There is a map for our lives, and we see it by faith! thanks again, Greg
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