Scripture: Hebrews 11:32-40 (ESV)
“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
I think one of the greatest failures of the Prosperity Gospel is that it promises the Kingdom of God now. A massive flaw in their understanding is that since Jesus has conquered death and sin, everything bad should already be conquered now, in this life. Faith, for them, is a the tool to manifest the kingdom today, and if you are not happy, healthy, and wealthy today, it is because you have a deficient faith. Perhaps, one of the saddest examples of this is Joel Osteen’s book entitled “Your Best Life Now”. (On sale now at Amazon for $38). Why would I want my best life now? Surely the point of a large part of scripture, including this passage from Hebrews is that our best lives aren’t being lived now.
The author of Hebrews reminds us that great faith isn’t so much about having our best lives now, but about trusting in God’s promises precisely when we don’t live our best lives. Victory in Christ, is not the same thing as Victory on Earth.
It is true, sometimes faith stories are great success stories here on Earth. We have some of those listed here. Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel. Their faith stories involved defeating armies, delivering justice, saving Israel and so on. (Although to be honest, we should remember that in each case, these faith “heroes” were pretty flawed themselves!).
But the reality is that faith stories are often failures from our earthly perspective. These faith “heroes” were tortured, mocked, imprisoned, and killed. And they don’t even get named in our passage – they died nameless. And yet, their stories finish out the chapter on faith in the book of Hebrews. Why? Because even if they did not see the fulfilment of the promises, they trusted in God regardless.
The world might look at them as failures. But the author of Hebrews reminds us that God’s view is different. He evaluates the world as being unworthy of their presence. Success through the eyes of faith is to overcome the world. The faith of these unnamed heroes wasn’t in living their best life now, it was in a better promise of the world to come. In faith they could look beyond earthly victories and see the ultimate victory they shared in Christ.
So which kind of faith do you want? Faith that allows you to live your best life now? Or faith that wants to live your best life then?
Prayer:
Lord please give us the strength to trust you, yes when things are going well, but also and especially when things are not going well. Help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Help us to remember that no matter how good life is here, eternal life with you will be infinitely better. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge:
Where in your life are you tempted to measure yourself by earthly success standards? Commit this area to God and trust him instead.