“It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.”Hebrews 11:7 (NLT)
Faith is obedience when you don’t understand. In the New Testament alone, there are 1,050 commands—and they’re all for your benefit.
God often says things that seem confusing, such as, “Love your enemies” and “Forgive the people who hurt you.” That’s not easy! Many commands in the Bible seem difficult, unreasonable, unrealistic, unachievable, and even impossible. But when God says things like, “You should save sex for marriage,” he’s not being mean. He says it because he knows more than you do what’s best and what will make you happy.
Every time God tells you to do something, it’s a test of your faith. The question is this: Do you trust God, or do you trust your gut? Do you trust the Word, or do you trust the world?
Will you obey?
As a kid, did your parents ever ask you to do something that seemed unreasonable? When you asked, “Why should I do this?” they would say, “Because I said so!” Looking back, were the things your parents told you to do “because they said so” the right thing? Yes. Can you see in hindsight how they were wise?
Just like he did with Noah, God will ask you to do things you don’t understand for the rest of your life, not just when you’re a kid. When you’re 80 years old, God will say, “I want you to do this.” And you’ll ask, “Why? That doesn’t make sense.” And God will say, “Because I said so.”
Situations like these are a test. Faith is believing when you don’t see it, but it’s also obeying when you don’t understand it. If you don’t learn to obey, you’ll miss out on so many blessings has in store for you.
But if you learn to do what God tells you to do without question, even when it seems absurd and the exact opposite of your natural tendency, then you will grow in faith—and be blessed.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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