Topic: Individual stories

Text: Hebrews 11

Key verse: How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the prophets Verse 32

The list goes on and on in this chapter not just of people of remarkable exploits of faith but also of people who struggled before they made it. As individuals, the challenges they faced were diverse, some in military combat, in political leadership, spiritual leadership, and their personal lives, yet they all needed faith. 

This is one lesson you need to apply on a daily basis, we live by faith. Sometimes it feels like because we can\’t see God he may be distant and far from us and uninterested in our lives. That\’s not true. Imagine what life would be hundred years from now, and a modern version of Hebrews 11 is written and your own acts of faith are remembered, what will it be about? How would the story end? What lessons will you leave behind as a legacy of a life of faith? 

We must be intentional to examine and review our daily conduct, responses, and reactions, in the face of difficulties, our expectations from life also reveal where our faith lies, in ourselves or God. These are the details that will be written about you and l. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. 1 Tim 4:16

This admonition given to Timothy by his mentor Paul is one you will find very beneficial too. Don’t get too busy to pay close attention to yourself, your belief, personality, character, expectations, and responses to the dealings of God in your life. For your own salvation, and that of those you lead or influence at the family level, workplace, or ministry, you must invest in Self-care. 

When stress builds up unattended, your emotions start to pop up in the wrong places. As offenses pile up unresolved or forgiven, you start to develop tendencies that can mar your faithful witness over the years. The abundance of wealth and the absence of the same can become a snare to you.

The COVID 19 lockdown gave us enough time to reconsider life and its pursuits, don’t miss the lessons God gently passed on to the human race. Our individual story is being complied as proof of God’s faithfulness to the next generation, the struggles, the mistakes, the short cuts, fears, anxieties, and the miraculous interventions in response to faith are all the things that make each life story unique. 

The advantage we have over those we read about in our text is that we still have the time to edit our lives. 

Let’s make our stories count for eternity.

Roses&Thorns