A Series on Living by Faith
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
Joshua 2:1-24; Hebrews 11:31
[Hebrews 11 is a recounting of the Heroes of the Faith. Even though they never saw what they had been promised, each person is commended for living “by faith”. At the end of these commendations, Hebrews 12 tells us, “Therefore, because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… throw off sin; run with perseverance; fix your eyes on Jesus”. In other words, live “by faith”.]
Did you have a
childhood friend, who when they grew up, really surprised you at what they
accomplished? I did.
He was a high
school class mate who skated through school with high grades, but never seemed
to take anything seriously; except sports maybe. In fact, in many ways, he was
the class clown.
But as an adult,
he went to college, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree plus two masters and
his PhD. He was a professor at a Christian college and served as the Provost
for a number of years. I don’t know what a Provost does, but it’s capitalized
and sounds very impressive. He has also written six Christian books to date.
I could tell you
stories about him from high school that would make you say, “Are you kidding me”?!?
You could make the
same statement about Rahab. She was a Canaanite woman; which for the Jews meant
she had two strikes against her right off the bat. Then there was the matter of
being a prostitute. It’s possible that from her traveling clients that she learned
about the Jewish God, and the Jews military victories.
Whatever the case
may be, based on her background, you would never have expected her to be
praised for her faith and for her works.
31 By
faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with
those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11 NIV
25 In
the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what
she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different
direction? James
2 NIV
Her crowning
achievement though, the one where you would say, “Are you kidding me”; is that
she was an ancestor of Jesus. Think about it. The Lord Jesus was a descendant
of a Canaanite prostitute.
This just goes to
show you that our Lord is not restricted by the expectations or prejudgments of
others. He can, and often does, take people who are just ordinary, and works in
their life to accomplish great things through His love and grace.
Therefore, you
might ask yourself, “How is the Lord working in your life”? Do others look at
you and ask, “Are you kidding me”?
