July 18

Romans 4

As we were standing in the hot morning sun unloading buses the other day at summer school, I made a comment that I was grateful for the soft breeze.  I was reminded by another staff member of the heat and that he couldn't see or feel the breeze.  I told him that the leaves were moving which meant that even though we couldn't see the faint breeze, we have to acknowledge it was there.  As we are reminded in today's reading, faith works much the same way.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is having confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see. (Trust me, I was really hoping for that breeze!)  In faith we pray. Faith has been given to us as a free gift, paid for by the blood of Christ. All we are asked to do, like Abraham, is receive it, believe it, and it will be counted to us as righteous, making us right in God's sight.  Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise.  He was wise enough to know that the all the laws passed on by tradition were impossible to keep and that the only way to avoid breaking the law was to have no law to break. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promised, above and beyond the law, and he received it by faith, and years later, Jesus fulfilled it. (Matthew 5:17) I believe this was written for us to hold on to, for our benefit and assurance. Although this is not easy, but as we walk by faith and believe, we too are counted as righteous in God's eyes. I pray we hold on to the truth that Jesus, our Lord, died for our sins and brought us to a place of undeserved privilege where we can now stand confidently and joyfully.

Randi