July 28                                                                    Jas 1 - 2

CLOUD OF WITNESSES

MEMORISE: ‘Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…’ (Heb 11:33)
READ: Hebrews 12: 1- 3

Hebrews 11 catalogues men and women who at various times accomplished acts of faith and are listed in heaven’s Hall of Fame. These people withstood their evil governments and did what was right in the face of torture and death. They denied their fleshly desires to satisfy God’s desires. In the process they became heroes of the faith. Hebrews 12: 1 calls the, a cloud of witnesses. Right now, they are with the Lord in heaven.

In today’s reading, Paul, through the Holy Spirit, tells contemporary believers to learn faith and endurance from these witnesses and run the race to the end. We need to learn from their self-denial and their demonstration of faith in God’s Word until they reached the result.

Some people think thank the level of holiness God expects from us is too high. How can we live totally free from sin? The question is: How did these brethren meet up with that standard during their time? Remember Christianity, unlike today, met with serious opposition. Hebrews 11: 35 -39 says they were brought before panels and publicly mocked. They were scourged, imprisoned and dies by the sword. They became destitute fugitives in mountains, dens and caves. Their lives were exposed to all kinds of danger: all because they believed in Jesus.

What have you gone through? If God lowers the standard, those ancient brethren will feel cheated. If you say there is so much iniquity today that it is impossible to live a holy life, the cloud of witnesses will arise and say it is not true. They are watching us keenly from heaven. They applaud, as in a football game, every righteous move you make in faith. But whenever you compromise, they feel sad. When you eventually make it to heaven, they will know your life history, because they have been closely monitoring you. Brethren, you are not alone. You have many invisible supporters. Arise today and begin a daily life of constant holiness. Join the cloud of witnesses!

ACTION POINT
We are actors in an unfolding, live drama, witnessed by a great, heavenly crowd. Be careful how you live!