A Heritage of Faith

Make it stand out

For You, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. Psalm 61:5

In our day, much ado is made over privilege. Too many things are assumed to have been passed by race or ethnicity. But in the absence of diligent application of any real (or imagined) advantage, a lack of effort with integrity only falls flat in achieving any good outcome. The truth is that we all have some heritage passed down to us from those who have gone before us. This principle is expressed biblically in the word heritage: “O God, you have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.” (Psalm 61:5) Yet, if we do not “give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard” (Hebrews 2:1), we will drift, and our faith will have no effect.

So how do we describe heritage? It is something reserved, that is handed down from the past, that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth. It is an inherited lot or portion. The first two verses of Hebrews chapter 11 tell us what kind of heritage of faith we have: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” The Bible is filled with stories of men and women who, through faith, believed what God promised and accomplished extraordinary deeds.

Hebrews 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith.” In it, we read of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Moses, and Rahab. But there are many others whose lives receive an honorable mention. “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of … all these people who earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.” (Hebrews 11:32,39-40) The posts in this blog will showcase the lives of some of those who by faith “overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them.” Their example encourages us today to walk by faith, not by sight, and to overcome our own obstacles, knowing that God rewards those who believe and sincerely seek Him.

Read: Psalm 61:5, Hebrews 2:1-5, Hebrews 11

Listen: Heroes of Faith