The Amazing Love of God

 Good morning! We are waking up to a bright and beautiful day brought to you buy the Lord Himself!

Today I hope we can all put on a smile and remember Whose daughter we are!

The Amazing Love of God

It is just so amazing to think about the love of God! One thing that is so wonderful about His love is that it is universal! Another wonderful thing about His love is that it is so personal!! These two concepts do not contradict one another at all.

God’s love IS universal. He is our Creator. The giver of life ... He gave us our life. Yours. And mine. And all 108,760,543,790(approximately) that have ever been born. Every person who ever lived did so because God gave them life. Wow! Think about that number. God is truly worthy of our praise!

Like I said, it is amazing! If God’s love includes everyone then I can rest in knowing He loves the people I love. More than I do. My parents are covered by the love of God. So are my brothers and sisters-in-law. My nieces and nephews too. Even as much as I love my children, I know God loves them ever so much more!

The Father does not leave anyone out! It gives me great peace to know this. I am glad God’s love is universal. I am thankful the Creator loved us enough to send His Only Son to this world to die for us. All of us. He gave up heaven to live on earth among people like us.

God’s love IS personal! He knows our names. He knows how many hairs on our head. It boggles the mind. God knows our hearts. He knows everything about us. As some of us say sometimes, He knows us “warts and all.” And guess what? The Father still loves us.

Here is an absolutely beautiful portion of scripture which shows us how great the Father’s love is. We find this in Psalm 56:8 -11: “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. In God (I will praise His word), In the Lord (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Did you know God cares for us so much He keeps up with our tears? He knows what we go through and He cares. Yes, His love is personal!! The Father will fight for us. He will take care of our enemies. We can trust God! He will always stand for us when we stand for Him.

God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit all want us to be in heaven with them. What a wonderful thought! The thing is, we must want it too. Here is where it gets personal. We must love Christ enough to keep His commandments. All of them. Not just one or two.

It is our choice. God doesn’t force us. Christ doesn’t. Neither does the Holy Spirit. I am the only one who can choose for me. The same goes for all of us. The right choice? The right choice puts us in the presence of God’s love for eternity. I think it's worth it!!!

Christ above all things ….. Robin

Wherever We Are

           Once a couple of years ago, I got a nice little text from my husband.  You see we were working different shifts then.  So during the week we rarely saw each other except for a few minutes at a time.  It was difficult to keep up with one another.  We did stay in touch through texting and really tried to get the most out of our weekends together. 
       The text he sent was short and sweet.  Really, it was very sweet.  My husband is not a terribly romantic guy so when I get a text like that -- seemingly just out of the blue -- I celebrate it!!  It said simply, "Wherever you are, I love you."  Of course I responded in kind.
      This made my whole day!  I smiled every time I thought of it and even shared with a few of my co-workers.  Isn't it nice to know you're being thought of by someone you love?
      Robert didn't know where I was ... or what I might be doing.  He didn't know when I might get a chance to see his text.  But whenever I did see it, he wanted me to know he cares about me.
      
       Robert might now have known what I was doing or where I was at the particular moment on that particular day; but God did.   Our Heavenly Father knows where we are all the time.  Not only that, but He loves us all the time wherever we go.  HIS love is constant - unconditional -eternal -- never changing.  The question is do we love Him? 
      God wants to be with us.  He longs to be a part of our lives.  Of course, He already knows what is happening in our lives; but God wants us to tell Him.  
       Ah, but here's the thing.  We make the choice to stay in touch.  You see God loves us - absolutely no way of denying that, but how often do we show our love for Him?  How often do we spend time thinking of our Heavenly Father?  
       It is much like a parent and child relationship.  I remember as my boys were growing up, I often felt like getting them to talk  was like pulling hen's teeth.  Many children reach a point in their lives where they don't share as much as they used to.  Their worlds grow beyond the realm of their parents.  
    But a parent's love never changes.  They still want the close connection they had with their children when they were younger.  Oh now don't get me wrong, parents want their kids to have friends and enjoy themselves.  
      A parent doesn't want to hold a child back; but they do long to sit and talk to them - they want to be included in some way.  Parents out there can relate.  If you aren't a parent, you may remember how it felt to have a parent ask you 10,000 questions about your day.  It was only their way of trying to stay connected.  
       How connected are we to our Holy Father?  All God has ever wanted -- even from the time of Adam and Eve -- is to be with His creation.  God wants us to be in touch with Him in the same way a parent wants to be in touch with their child.  He only wants to be included in our lives.  It hurts Him when we don't do that.  It is because He loves us so deeply!  
        How often do we spend time in study so that we can know how to live a godly life and be pleasing to our Father? How often do we talk to Him in prayer?  Personally,  I need to work on both of these things.  Sometimes I get so caught up in every day life I forget to include the One I need the most.  

       Ah, but the Lord never forgets us.  He knows everything about us.  He even knows the number of hairs on our head!  He waits for us to make the choice to call on Him.  God created us with free will.  We aren't programmed like robots.  Praying and Bible study are things we do automatically.  We don't run on a predetermined script.  We CHOOSE. and our loving Heavenly Father longs for us to make the choice.  See, He already knows all about whatever we might tell Him; but He wants to hear it from us.  

        Remember the parable of the prodigal son?  We can learn so much from this lesson, I know.  But one thing I always think of is the choices the young man makes.  He chooses to go away and spend his money on "riotous living." Eventually, he regrets this decision.  He "comes to himself" and decides to go back to his father.  

       The picture Christ paints of the father is indeed touching.  He didn't beg his son to stay; and he missed him every day.  But it was the son's choice.  I'm sure you know what Jesus said about the father?   We find it in Luke 15:20 -

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion,

and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."

        I believe the father had been looking for him and hoping he would come back almost since the day he left.  Yet, he did not run to greet his son until the son made the choice to come home.  The son had to be ready to come back.  Only then did the father run to welcome him home. 

         God will always choose to meet us .... wherever we are .... whenever we choose to remember Him and spend time with Him.  He loves us wherever we are whether it's at home, at work, on the road or on vacation or .. well, wherever we are!  It really is that simple.  Choose to connect with Him.  Choose to get to know His Son.  Jesus told us the only way to get to the Father is through Him. Become a friend of Christ and keep His commandments.  I know you will be glad you did!

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23)

Christ above all things, 

Robin

        
      
      

How's Your Vision?

        Not so long ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table when I looked up and saw something on the counter which seemed a little out of place.  I didn't have my glasses on, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was.  I am near sighted so things that are far away are just a blur.  
        Anyway, this object was either black or dark blue.  I knew it wasn't a knife or a spatula - or any other kitchen utensil for that matter.  I continued to squint and stare for several seconds while I ran all sorts of possibilities through my mind.  Did Robert leave a screw driver or some other tool on the counter?  
      Before I belabor the point too much longer, it turned out to be an ink pen.  Nothing really weird... no big deal... just a simple ink pen.  I just didn't remember leaving it there.  
      As I mentioned earlier, I am near sighted.  I can't see things far away without my glasses.  I know I'm not the only one.  Many people are nearsighted.  This is a physical characteristic.  But what about my spiritual vision?  Where should my spiritual sight be directed?  
       Several times throughout His ministry, our Savior miraculously healed the blind, and others with all manner of diseases and afflictions.  Through His power as the Son of God,  they could see again.  Jesus had such great compassion for all those He healed.   
       Mark records an example of the Lord's compassion in Mark 8:22-27.  A blind man was brought to Him. Verse 23 Mark tells us Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of town to heal him.  Our loving and compassionate Savior did not leave it to the man's friends to lead him out of town.  Jesus did that Himself.  He held the man's hand to lead him to a place where He would heal him.  How awesome is that?!!
        Christ had compassion for those who needed it -- who sought Him out.  There were some who rejected His teaching.  Jesus called them blind too; but their blindness was spiritual not physical.  The Pharisees refused to believe Jesus was the Christ.  They could not see what was before their very eyes.  They saw Christ, the man, with their eyes; but they could not see Christ, the Messiah, with their hearts.  
        "Blind leaders of the blind,"  Christ called them.  Can you imagine how frustrated and heartbroken Jesus was to know these men had no interest in anything He had to say?  They were threatened by Him and sought only to destroy Him.  And yet, Jesus loved them too.  If only they had been willing to turn to Him, He would have healed even those with spiritual blindness.  
        We have to keep our eyes - our hearts and minds open to the word of God.  We need to give ourselves a spiritual eye exam from time to time.  Study and learn of Christ so that we can maintain our vision.  We need to keep our eyes on the prize of eternal life.  
        I am reminded me of  1 Peter 1:6- 10.  This is the passage where Peter tells us to "make every effort to supplement" our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and with love.  All these characteristics are interconnected.  They build on each other and help us to grow into mature Christians.  They keep us from blinding our hearts.
        Led by the Holy Spirit, Peter goes on to say if we develop and build on the qualities he mentions, it will keep us from being ineffective or unfruitful Christians.  What a wonderful promise!  
        We really need to pay attention to the promise because the warning comes next.  Peter warns:  "For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins."  This is a grave warning. 
         If we lack faith, virtue, and knowledge our vision dims.  If we have no self-control, steadfastness or godliness our spiritual future looks grim.  If there is no brotherly affection or love in our hearts we become ineffective and unfruitful. We forget. We forget the love Christ has for us. We forget we were cleansed from our sins.  We become spiritually blind. What a sad state to be in!  
       Wait, Peter doesn't leave us hopeless.  Actually, he places his warning in the midst of two promises.  Both of these are conditional.  The conditions are the same.  "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election,  for if ... IF (emphasis mine) you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  
                                                                 (1 Peter 1: 10-11)  
          
       I love this section of scripture. It is so beautiful to me.  Jesus loves us so much.  He wants to provide that entrance into the eternal kingdom for us.  He truly does; but gaining the entrance doesn't automatically happen.  We must be cleansed from our sins.  Next, we must keep our spiritual vision in good shape.  We develop and increase in these wonderful traits and follow the word of God.  Then we gain the entrance to the beautiful eternal kingdom.                 
       Unfortunately, Jesus cannot heal our spiritual blindness unless we are willing to be healed.  He leaves it up to us to make that decision.  It is always our choice.

Christ above all things, 
Robin
  

Don't Get in a Hurry!

          There is an old saying, "Haste makes waste."  This is true in so many cases.  This morning I was in a hurry as I loaded the dishwasher.  There was no particular reason for my rush.  I guess I just wanted to be through with the job.  Anyway, when I pulled the top rack out to begin my loading,  it came off its track.  
          Oh, no permanent damage was done.  I just had to work with it a little bit to get it back on its track so it would roll properly.  When it happened, it stuck and I could not move it into the machine to close the door, nor could I pull it out far enough to load dishes into it. Nonetheless, I was able to get it fixed 'all by myself,' as young children say  sometimes.
          If I had broken my dishwasher, I would have been in a mess for sure!  I was thankful that didn't happen; but it got me to thinking.  There were times in my life when getting in a hurry did get me in a mess.  When I was younger, I made hasty decisions fairly often.  Sometimes I still do. :( 
        Obviously this usually isn't the best way to go.  Major decisions need to be weighed carefully in our minds.  Pros and cons both need to be considered.  Take for instance, a new job offer.  The salary may be higher than your current one; but what about the work load and hours required?  The extra responsibility and time away from family may not be worth the extra money.  
        A job is just one example of why we shouldn't make decisions in a hurry.  Choosing a life partner is even more important.  We should never allow ourselves to be carried away in the emotion of a moment and make a monumental decision which could effect the rest of our lives. I know some quick romances last for years; but even then at the very least we should make sure our potential partner understands we are committed to Christ first and foremost. 
      These examples are more obvious than others.  We've all been with a group of people and felt the pressure to do something we know is not right.  Take gossip for instance.  Say we are in the break area and someone shares private information about a co-worker. 
       Do they expect us to join in the talk?  Do we have to take a turn sharing information about someone when we know the person would not want this tidbit to become public information?   Making a quick, spur of the moment decision to tell something we know would be hurtful.   could damage a friendship, destroy a person's reputation and cause our soul to be lost. 
       There are so many instances when getting in a hurry can be a dangerous thing - whether physically, emotionally or spiritually.  Flying off the handle and losing our temper or jumping to conclusions can be really dangerous.  We should remember to think before we act or speak because being in a hurry could land us in big trouble!  
        Cutting corners at work just to get a job done could hurt your reputation as a good employee.  Making snap judgments about people or new ideas is also spiritually dangerous.  It could cause you to be unkind and unloving which is not Christlike behavior.  
         Avoiding new ideas can keep you from learning and growing.  If we aren't willing to grow, we end up on the losing side of life.  This is true in our workplace, in our homes and in our relationship with God.  
       If we make up our mind about someone before we get to know them, we may be missing out on a great friendship.  We may lose an opportunity to teach someone about God.  Either way, we are missing untold blessings.  We would never want someone to form such a quick opinion of us, would we?  It is never right to prejudge anyone.    
       So my friends - don't get in a hurry!  Let's take our time.    Do our work the right way.  Be careful about making decisions too quickly.  Choose wisely with all factors taken into account.  Consider the consequences of allowing social pressure to guide our actions.  
        Let's think before we act or speak.  Let's hold our temper.  Let's not jump to conclusions or form opinions about new ideas without knowing all the details.  And we should never, never make up our minds about a person without getting to know them first.  

        Life is way too short to be in a hurry about anything!

"Do you see a man hasty in his words?  There is more hope for a fool than for him."  (Proverbs 29:20)

Christ above all things, 
Robin  

A is for Apple

       It was my lunch hour.  I went to eat in a local family owned Asian restaurant.  I don't go there often, but I always enjoy it when I do.  
       As I ate my lunch, I could hear a young boy on the other side of the restaurant.  "A is for apple, B is ball, C is for Cat.." and he continued all the way through the alphabet.  I thought perhaps he was looking at a picture book.  Almost as soon as he finished, he would start over again.  
      This continued for quite some time.  Every once in a while, an even younger voice joined in for a few of the letters.  Occasionally, I heard an adult encouraging and cheering him on.  
       I could not help but smile as I listened to the young voice.  He sounded so earnest.  He wanted to get it just right.  We don't often hear someone so young one with so much determination. 
      Almost immediately I began to think how wonderful it would be if parents were as concerned with their children learning about God as they were about them learning their ABCs and 1,2,3s!  That scripture from Deuteronomy came to mind.  Know the one I'm talking about? ....It is where God tells the Israelites:  
     "And these words that I command you shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise." 
 You can read these beautiful words in Deuteronomy 6:6-7.  They are repeated almost word for word in chapter 11:8-19.  
      God loves us so much!!  He wants us to be in heaven with Him.  The question is do we love our children enough to tell them this?  Do our children know first and foremost that God loves them?  
       His love is more important than our own love because God is the one who sent us a Savior.  We cannot save our children's souls.  We can only teach them about the One who can  -- if they choose to follow Him.
     I remember when we were growing up we brought our Bible class books home with us.  Every Sunday morning on the way to worship, Dad would ask if we had our lessons up.       Keeping up with our school work was important to our parents; but our Sunday school lesson was even more important!  We better make sure those lessons were done!  Mom and Dad wanted us to understand God comes first. 
      Christianity is maligned in the media these days.  Christians are portrayed as hateful and intolerant.  This is totally false.  Please teach your children how good God is.  Let them know Christ came to earth for all of us ... loves all of us ... died and rose again for all of us!  
      The gospel is a gospel of peace and joy.  We need not only tell our children this -- we need to show them.  We need to teach them good manners.  They need to see us being courteous and respectful.  
      If we don't want our children to be bullies, maybe we shouldn't yell at umpires and referees at ballgames.  If we want our children to learn about compassion, they should be able to see us being compassionate.  If we want them to believe God answers prayer, we should pray with them. And when a prayer is answered give God the glory.
    When we help them learn the alphabet, teach them about a book called the Bible that talks about the God who loves them.  When they learn about our vast universe, tell them about the God who created it.  When they study how the planets revolve around the sun, tell them a Christian's life should revolve around Christ, the Son of God.  
      When our children learn about caterpillars, cocoons and butterflies let's teach them Jesus rose from the grave and reigns in Heaven at the right hand of God.  And when they learn about 'how babies are made' -- please tell them God is the giver of life!  Teach them how precious every life is!
     
       I finished my lunch that day and went to pay for my food. I saw the young man whose voice I heard during my meal.  He was probably five or six.  The other little boy appeared to be about four.  They were both adorable!  
        All children should be cherished.  They are priceless gifts from God!  We should take great care in teaching them about the God who loves them. 
     
      "One generation shall commend your works to another,
                 and shall declare your mighty acts"  (Psalm 145:4)
       
Christ above all things, 
Robin        

A Conversation for a Never Time

      Recently one of my sons and I were having a conversation via text.  We were primarily just touching base with each other.  Then a  particular subject and he said, "That's another conversation for a never time."  I thought that was not right, so I asked "You mean another time?"  
      Even though we were only texting, I could almost hear him chuckle when I read "No, I meant what I said."  Then I got it.  He didn't want to get into it because he thought we would disagree and then argue.  So we changed the subject.  
      Now please don't get me wrong.  I'm close to all three of my sons.  I love being around them.  I enjoy their very different styles of humor.  I cherish my time with them (which isn't often anymore).  And I love sinking into their big bear hugs.  But we are all different people and we don't always agree on everything.  
      Still that phrase, "a conversation for a never time" stuck with me.  I've been thinking about it for several days now.  Adam was right.  There are some conversations which should never take place.  Sometimes we should simply choose not to talk about things we know would either cause strife or sadness.  
      There are some things we should simply never say.  Ever.  Think about it.  The world would be a better if we realized some conversations were left unspoken.  As Christians we are supposed to build people up - not put them down.  We should encourage each other along the way -- not trip each other up.  
      Oh sure there are times when we must stand up for what's right.  We have to correct one another sometimes.  I have friends and sisters who love me enough to hold me accountable.  Galatians 6:1 tells us to restore those who are caught up in sin;  but in a spirit of gentleness.  
       The Bible also says there are times we need to keep our peace.  Insisting on have a conversation we should never have could cause irrevocable damage.  Why on earth would we want to do something like that?  
      We should never want to cause an argument.  For instance (and this is a little thing compared to others), right now my husband is in the living room watching sports.  I am in the kitchen typing this blog.  
     What good it would do either of us, if I told him we needed to talk about his watching sports too much or tried to insist on watching another channel?  None.  Nor would it be beneficial if he told me to stop with this blog.  A statement becomes an argument - over something unimportant.  
      Let's give another example.  Say for instance, someone in our family loves to tell the same stories or jokes over and over again.  Most of us know someone like that.  Should we tell Uncle So and So we really wished he would just be quiet?  Maybe - if his jokes are vulgar or derogatory in some way.  But if they cause no harm other than hearing them for the thousandth time, is it really worth hurting his feelings?  
     Maybe your son or daughter likes wearing the same shirt every day.  If they are washing it every night - what's the big deal?  Believe me, where our children are concerned, there are much more serious matters to consider.  
      Jesus didn't want his apostles to argue and He doesn't want us to either.  The Savior said we should love one another as He has loved us.  This means keeping the peace, not stirring the pot.  
      If your sister in Christ loves to sing and praise God loudly but she is really tone deaf, don't tell her.  Don't steal her joy.  Besides, she probably knows it already.  Let her sing - let her rejoice in the Lord.  Isn't that one of the reasons we all sing anyway?  
      All of this is Biblical folks.  There really are "conversations for a never time."  Some things are much better left unsaid.  Several scriptures make this point.  I was actually surprised at how many verses I did find.  
     Proverbs 15:28 says "The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer; but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things."  (ESV)  When we ponder how to answer (think about our responses) we can avoid saying something we might regret later.  We certainly don't want to be known as someone who is hurtful or spiteful with our words. 
      Here is another good one.  Proverbs 30:33 says, "For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife."  God just doesn't want His people to cause strife.  
      We find similar scriptures in Paul's writings.  When he mentions the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19 -21 along with sexual immorality and drunkenness, he also lists enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions and divisions.  Ephesians 4:29-31 and Colossians 3:8 are very similar readings.  
      I encourage to read all three passages and the verses surrounding them.  They are all slightly different and carry their own significance.  I think these scriptures make it pretty clear.  Some conversations really are for a "never time."  Sometimes we need to leave things alone. 
     What we say carries so much power.  Our words can cut to the heart, or comfort the heart.  They can tear someone down or build someone up.  We are the ones who make that choice.  No one else controls our tongue.  
      Our words might stick with someone forever.  They may never be forgotten.  Wouldn't we rather these words be kind, gentle, positive and loving?  
       
    "Gracious words are like a honeycomb; 
          sweetness to the soul and health to the body."
                                                                              Proverbs 16:24

Christ above all things, 
Robin 
     

Did You Do That on Purpose?

         "You did that on purpose!"  Sound familiar?  Most of us have heard children use that phrase during a quarrel.  Sometimes the accusation comes from a toy being broken. 
        Other times it happens when one wants to be first to do something and the other races ahead to do it.  It could be to open the door for Dad or take Grandpa his glasses or give Mom her birthday present.  And sometimes we hear it when one child pushes, hits or kicks the other child.  
        All of these incidents are unfortunate but they happen among siblings and playmates.  Almost always the one who "did it on purpose" ends up being punished.  Albeit the one who is punished has been provoked in some way.  
       Wouldn't it be nice if "you did that on purpose" meant something good?  A story about my youngest nephew comes to mind.   He was in first grade and the school year had just begun.  For days, he asked the teacher when they would get to go the playground.  
      Well, it had rained a good bit that year and the ground in the play area was quite muddy.  Naturally, this made the playground off limits.  It didn't stop my nephew from asking his teacher every day if the kids could go out and play.  
     Finally, the day came when the playground was dry enough for the children to go outside and enjoy it.  When my sister in law picked up Will after school that day, he was so excited.  "Mom," he said proudly.  "We got to go to the playground today and it was all my fault!"  
     Asking every day "on purpose" turned out to be a good thing.  Actually when we stop to think about it, many good things we do for each other are done intentionally.  Oh sure, sometimes we might be at the right place at the right time and keep someone from stumbling -- or warn someone to stop because a car is coming.  Even when the situation isn't one we planned, we are still acting with a purpose.    
     We should remember when we are the recipient of a good deed, a smile or a hug it is because the other person was "doing it on purpose."  If your spouse brings you flowers or your child draws a picture for you, they meant to do it.  If your co-worker says something encouraging it is because they made a deliberate choice to do so.  
      Let's think of it another way.  God's favor is bestowed upon those who actually seek it.  Noah and his family were not chosen by some willy nilly notion.  Why do you think Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord? (Genesis 6:8).  It is because he sought it!  
      Noah wanted God's favor.  Do you think God would have chosen to save someone like all the rest of the people on earth at the time -- someone whose every intention was to do evil continually?  No- Genesis 6:5 tells us everyone else on earth (except for Noah's family) were evil on purpose.  It was what they chose - it was the intention of the thoughts of their heart.  
      If Noah had chosen the same evil ways, he would not have escaped the flood.  But Noah intentionally sought God's favor.  We have to be looking for something to find it folks!  Noah made a deliberate choice different from everyone else.  He and his family purposely chose to follow God.  No one else made that choice.  
      Hebrews 11:6 tells us "And without faith it is impossible to please Him for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."  Do we get that?  We have to seek God to find Him.  
      Seeking is a deliberate action.  It is a choice - something done on purpose.  We will not draw near to Him by some crazy accident.  We will only do so if we want to.  Believe me, there are plenty of people who do not want to.  We need to pray for them.  
     Who does God reward?  Those who seek Him through faith.  What does that mean?  Well, Hebrews chapter 11 explains it very well.  Every person named in the chapter not only had faith but acted on it.  They did something.  They obeyed God's commands.  
     In verse 5, we are told Enoch was commended as having pleased God.  How did he do that?  By doing what God commanded him to do.  Abraham left the land he knew. Why?  He had faith in God.  Abraham wanted to be near to God.  He chose to obey God's command because he knew God would reward him.  
     Read through the chapter and see verse 6 in action over and over again.  These people wanted to be near to God.  They believed in His existence.  They wanted Him to be part of their lives.  So they obeyed because they had faith that He would reward them.  
      Faith is a deliberate purposeful lifestyle.  It is choosing to study and obey God's word.  It is "doing it on purpose." It is seeking to know the things He would have us do and the life He would have us live.  It is having faith in His reward. 
      I want to live for God on purpose.  Don't you?  

Christ above all things, 
Robin