Rainbow Springs State Park, Dunnellon, Florida
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ~ Hebrews 12:1
We had planned on going to church today, especially since we won’t be able to go next week, but it was raining so hard with no end in sight, that we decided to stay home and listen to Pastor Mike from The Chapel in Green (our home church). We haven’t finished all the Revelation series, but heard that he recently began a series called ‘Surrounded’ based on Hebrews 12:1. We decided to begin this series because of news we received this week about some of our fellow parishioners – two of which we know personally.
It seems that Pastor Mike asked a few men to give their testimonies during this series. Three of them have already been attacked by the enemy! One with ALS, died suddenly. One was taken to the hospital with a new heart condition, and one was in a terrible, life-threatening car accident. Please be in prayer for all those who have been asked to share.
The premise of the message we listened to today is faith and how we learn to walk in faith by observing and being encouraged by others.
Has your life been impacted and changed in a good way by witnessing the life of another Christian? The way the world is going, there seems to be fewer opportunities for that, and people make themselves more isolated by clinging to their technology rather than socializing in person. It’s becoming more difficult to see the Christian life lived out if you’re only spending time with people via texting or other forms of social media.
Pastor Mike reverted back to references from Chapters 10 and 11 to lay groundwork for his focus on 12:1. Back in Chapter 10:24-25, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. And then in verses 37-39, For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him’(quote from Habakkuk 2:3-4). But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
So we see that we are to meet together, and encourage one another, and live by faith. But what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The word ‘hope’ isn’t the same hope we use so much today, like when we say, ‘Boy, I sure hope it doesn’t rain today.’ Instead, it’s and assurance, a certainty. And the word, ‘certain’ is different in the original Greek as well. It means proof or evidence, but not seen yet. It is not faith that saves us, but the object of that faith that saves. That ‘object’ is Jesus Christ. We believe in Him. We have faith in Him, even though we have not physically seen Him. Then Jesus told him (Thomas), “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas didn’t believe despite being an eye witness! He was not living in faith.
In Chapter 11, the words ‘by faith’ are used 26 times as the author shares about men and women in Scripture who lived by faith. These people lived in the hope and lived by faith, but they were not perfect. Far from perfect! You won’t see perfection when you see a person of faith. Instead, you’ll see a human being whose flawed, but striving to become more Christ-like in their walk. A person who believes whole-heartedly in Jesus and their assurance that when they die, they will be in Heaven for all eternity and it will be beyond words wonderful!
Peter tell us in I Peter 1:8, Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Jesus judges based on a life lived by faith, Well done, though good and faithful servant. ~ Matthew 25:23
And so now we get to the “Therefore” in Hebrews 12:1. ‘Therefore’ equals because. And the great cloud means many/huge in number not outstanding human beings. And surrounded means securely bound, like with chains or a wrapped cloak. So, because of all the great men and women of faith who’ve gone before us, it should change us. It should make us want to renounce the sin in our lives. What is it that you carry around with you that you don’t want to carry anymore? Pride? Envy? Anxiety? Worry? A penchant for gossip? Gluttony? Lay it down and live by faith.
Living by faith should make us more bold in our witness. It should make us want to change inside. It should make us want to … live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ~ Ephesians 4:1-2
It was cool and rainy all day today, so what’s the best thing to do when you can’t get outside?
Spend the day cooking and baking and consuming mass quantities of unanswered calories!
French Toast, bananas, trail mix, chocolate chip cookies, apple turnovers, and for dinner – Salteado (the Cuban dish Blaine had in St. Augustine; yes I found a recipe, but can’t share it yet because it needs tweaked a bit), rice and salad. Well, hey, at least there were apples in the turnovers and we had bananas and a salad! That’s healthy, right? Well, except for the sugar on the apples and the overdose of salad dressing . . .
While I slaved away in the kitchen and worked on inserting most of my extracurricular up-coming “vacation” information ahead of time (because I certainly won’t have time later!), Blaine worked on planning next year’s travel agenda. And I convinced Blaine to watch Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in preparation for our vacation next week, while snacking on turnovers.
And I’m very pleased to report – – no Ricolas today! Let’s hope it stays that way!
Here’s the turnorver recipe, in case you’re interested. It’s very easy!
APPLE TURNOVERS (Arby’s clone)
4 large Granny Smith apples
½ C. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
¼ t. cinnamon
1 t. lemon juice
1 pkg (17.3 oz.) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
4 T. water – more if needed
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. In a medium pan over low heat, cook the apples with the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon juice, stirring often. Cook until the apples are tender. Remove from heat and cool.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Unfold the pastry on a floured surface. Roll 2 sheets into 12” squares, then cut each sheet into four 6: squares. You’ll use 1 ½ sheets of pastry.
Place ¼ C. apples into the center of each square. Brush the edges with water, then fold to form triangles. Be sure to seal the edges firmly with a fork.
Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
HINT: You can make icing by combining ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 T. water. Drizzle over turnovers.