Daily Devotional For Monday, August 11, 2025

Good morning Southside. It is Monday and some of you are back to work today. One of the things that makes Christians stand out is our faith. We are to be people of faith and not of sight. Hebrews 11:1 says this: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (NASB). And in Hebrews 11:2-5, we learn about the faith of Abel and Enoch. Their faith was one that was remarkable given their circumstances. We see that God gave His approval to these two because of their faith.

This is why Hebrews 11:6 says this: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (NASB). This serves as a warning to all Christians whose faith is weak, or wavering. This means no believer can please God without faith: not Abel, not Noah and not Abraham. It doesn’t matter how many rituals we do, without faith, it is meaningless. It doesn’t matter how many times we attend church; without faith, it is all meaningless. 

Pleasing God according to Hebrews 11:6 is contingent upon two things: First, people must believe that God exists and second, that they must choose to have an intentional relationship with God. When we look at Abel, Noah, Abraham and Enoch, all of these not only believed God existed, but they had an intentional relationship with Him. Yet, believing that God exists is only the beginning. James affirms that believing is not enough, even the demons believe this (see James 1:19-20). God does not want us to have some superficial or intellectual or mental assent of Him. He wants our relationship to be personal and deep with Him. 

A lot of people have a head knowledge of God; fewer have a personal relationship to Him. “To seek Him” means to act on the faith you have in God and then devote yourself to building your relationship to Him. This means we have to be intentional in our pursuit of God’s truth and the more we know, the more responsible and accountable we are to God (See 2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

Why do you believe? “Do you believe because faith makes sense, or because faith doesn’t need to make sense? Some Christians think people cannot understand God and should not try. Others believe that nothing true is irrational, including true faith. The great church leader Augustine was among the first to ponder the relationship of faith to reason. He concluded, “I believe in order to understand,” meaning that true understanding follows commitment to God, and that we cannot hope to understand God by human reason alone. Almost nine hundred years later, the great theologian Thomas Aquinas wrote that reason, while marred by sin, can know God through arguments and proofs. God gave us minds, which should be developed and used. To ignore intellectual growth is to live a stunted and naive life. God wants our trust and faith, even while we ponder and wonder about so many matters mysterious to us. God has spoken to us—to the mind, heart, and will—in Jesus Christ. We do not believe in a void, nor leap into the dark. Faith is reasonable, though reason alone cannot explain the whole of it. So use your mind to think things through. But leave room for the unexplainable works of God” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, p. 181).

Our culture tells us that faith in God is optional—something to have or not have, something to pull off the shelf when we need it but file away when we don’t, something that definitely should not be a priority. Please don’t fall prey to those lies of the enemy. The Bible tells us firmly and repeatedly that faith is important. The writer of Hebrews says bluntly that it is impossible for a person without faith to please God. He also says that we will please God and be rewarded when we seek Him earnestly and wholeheartedly. Some of us are natural skeptics, but it is in our best interests to set aside our skepticism in order to cultivate our faith. It is a good thing to nurture our faith by reminding ourselves of who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do. Since it is impossible to please God without faith, then building up our faith is the smart thing to do. Faith is something that God honors.

Assignment: How would you describe your faith in the Lord? Is it circumstantial? – meaning – you trust God when circumstances call for it or do you consistently have faith in God no matter what? The Lord loves common people with an uncommon faith. He rewarded them for it. Are you the type where your faith says, “I’ll believe when I see it” or “Believing is seeing”? There are people in the church who will not step out in faith with a decision that their church wants to make until God gives them proof ahead of time. For example, “I will not support our church spending money on renovating the children’s area until we are packing out with children.” That is not faith: that is sight. When tragedy comes or that bad medical report comes, do you fall apart or do you trust God in faith no matter what? How do you think God would describe your faith – one of genuine faith or one of sight? Why?

Scripture To Meditate On: 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (NASB).

Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, my desire is to please You. Grant me wisdom, courage, and discernment to follow You. Holy Spirit, help me to clearly see where I am grieving You, and give me the conviction and strength to change my ways. Lord, help me to walk by faith and not by sight. Help me not to be skeptical of You, but  sold out to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly