Most people quote only the first part of Hebrews 11:6—“without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Yet, it goes on to say, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” In other words, the faith that pleases God is the kind of faith that believes that God exists and that He is a rewarder.
The Bible also says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). So even in times of difficulty, when we don’t see good things happening in our circumstances, we are to believe that God will turn things around and reward us.
God turned things around for Ruth, the Moabite widow, when she believed the Lord and made Him her God (see Ruth 1:16). The Bible tells us that she was given a “full reward” by the Lord when she came under His wings for refuge (see Ruth 2:12). Not only did He give her protection, He also gave her abundant provision, exceeding favor and a glorious redemption (see Ruth 2:9–17, 3:11, 4:10–13).
When Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, heard reports of how the Lord had opened up the Red Sea for the children of Israel, she believed that “He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:9–11). Though Rahab had not personally witnessed the miracles, she believed God and hid the Jewish spies from their pursuers (see Joshua 2:4–6). Because of her faith, she not only did not perish with those who did not believe (see Joshua 6:25, Hebrews 11:31), but she was also given a place in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11.
God was so pleased with the faith of these two Gentile women that He not only blessed them in their lifetimes, but He also put them into the genealogy of His Son Jesus Christ, the great Redeemer and rewarder.
Beloved, when you come to the Lord with your needs, believe that He is God, and that He is a rewarder. God has pleasure in this kind of faith. He wants to be the rewarder of your faith in Him!
"I'M HERE TO TELL YOU" EDITOR'S NOTE
The substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. That's faith. The substance - actual substance. That of which a thing consists. A real thing, that's faith. And evidence, it's the proof of the things we can't see. It's faith which makes the hoped for, real. It's faith that is the proof of God. When we have faith, we show God that we trust Him. We are telling God, we love you because you first loved us. We say that He is the creator and the sustainer of life. And we say that we will depend on Him and His power, not our own. When we trust God, we can never go wrong. After Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin debt, He rose again from that death. When Jesus was resurrected, He was different. He was not all spirit and He was not all physical man, He was a hybrid. Something that had never existed before. The bible says that He was the first fruits of those who are asleep. This is the kind of being we will become when we are transformed when Jesus returns for His church. We, His people are His church and we will have supernatural bodies that will never die, (as well as do some pretty amazing things). Next time you feel that this old body of yours could use a tune-up, remember that a new one is just around the corner - when you have faith, you'll see it. Today, thank God in heaven for your faith. Thank Him that you see the proof of things unseen and that you have the evidence of what's real. And praise Him that your faith, like everything else, is a gift from God.
