TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Good morning! I’m curious… between months of focus on COVID-19, followed by protests and riots—do you ever wonder if life will feel normal again? I‘m just curious…
On to our Praise & Prayer Prompt! We’re using the CSB translation as we look at 1 Timothy 1:3-4. These verses say, “As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.”
Paul wrote these words to Timothy around 63 AD. As I read them this morning, it made me think of all that’s going on and how relevant they are today… People are searching for answers. People are trying to search for meaning and clues. The words of warning that Paul wrote still hold true—there are a lot of charlatans out there. We have to be diligent not to fall for false doctrine and misleading information. And I especially love the last phrase of this passage—“God’s plan, which operates by faith.”
That’s the hard part… we want the playbook! We want a specific outline that comes with a moment-by-moment checklist of what’s coming next… after all, we live in 2020, the year of Jumanji. We’ve got to brace ourselves for what’s next.
But Paul reminds us that God expects us to operate from faith more than we seek out checklists. God’s got the plan. We just have to trust Him that He’s got it under control. We have to have faith! And faith is defined for us in Hebrews 11:1… “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
But don’t worry… we aren’t totally operating out of blind faith. God’s Word shows us time and again that He’s faithful. We can trust our unknown future to His good plan, even when He hasn’t chosen to give us the specific details!
So as we continue down this path, and attempt to dodge the insanity of this craziest of years, let’s remember the best source for the information we seek—God’s Holy Word.
Today, as you pray, thank God for His plan. Thank Him that He has the details figured out and that nothing about these circumstances has surprised Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you have faith in God’s plan, understanding that when it’s time for you to know the details, He will show you.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
