Even More Heroes

Hebrews 11 Bible Study

By Kristen Entwistle

At the end of Hebrews 11 we find the most comprehensive list of all that God accomplished through these heroes of faith.  The Israelites and their leaders conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised – a land of their own and so much more.  God shut the mouths of the lions for Daniel, and quenched the fury of the flames in the fire for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Countless stories in the Old Testament tell of those whose weakness was turned to strength, becoming powerful in battle and overtaking their enemies, including some that we have studied, including David and Gideon.

There are certainly many more people in the Old Testament whose lives are full of faith: Aaron, Moses’ brother, who became the first of the Levitical priesthood; Joshua and Caleb, who alone of the twelve spies came back to Moses and Aaron believing that they could conquer the land with God’s blessing; Ruth, who left her home and her family to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to her homeland and to the Israelite God; Solomon, the wisest king ever to live, who was wise only because he asked God for wisdom; Nehemiah, who rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem despite much opposition; Esther, who went before the king unsummoned to save her people; Job, who endured persecution and hardship at the hand of Satan but never turned away from God; the prophets, who do not get mentioned by name in Hebrews 11, but who nonetheless make up many of the books in our Canon – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, not to mention Elijah, Elisha, Nathan, and many, many others.

Heb 11 32

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Giants

Hebrews 11 Bible Study

By Kristen Entwistle

At the championship meet in my senior year in college, I had the chance to break a record: the 200 yard butterfly.  On a good day, the 200 fly was hard.  On a day where I had already raced the mile freestyle, the 1000 yard freestyle the day before, and one relay – it was near impossible.  During the preliminary heats that morning, I felt alright – my arms were hurting by the end of the race, but it was the end of the season and I knew I just had to make it to the final heats that night.  I made it to the finals, but when I stepped up behind that block, I knew I had nothing left.

My coaches came up to me before the race and said, “I know you can do this.  Keep your head down, don’t breathe, and just swim like I know you know how to.”  I looked at my coach and I said, “Coach, I want to break this record.  But I have nothing left.  I don’t even know if I can finish this race.”  My coach looked at me and said, “Go out there and swim.  I’ll be proud of you no matter what.  And look – your teammates are all at the end of the lane, ready to cheer you on.  Go get ‘em, Scarecrow.”

There was a giant in my way that day – in the form of 200 yards of butterfly.  One start.  Seven turns.  Eight laps.  One finish.  One.  More.  Race.

As I put on my goggles, I prayed, “God, just give me the strength to finish this race.  I want to finish strong.”  I stepped up onto the block, and at the gun, I gave it all I had.  It wasn’t near enough to break the record, but that mountain in my way was removed.  It was a hard climb, and I fought for every breath, every stroke, every turn.  But with God, I was able to finish.  There’s no way I could have touched that wall without His strength.

Today in our Hebrews study, we come to David, Samuel and the prophets, who faced giants of their own.  David faced a literal giant and some figurative ones, while Samuel and the prophets faced many figurative giants.  Their faith in the God of the Universe gave them the victory over these giants, and ultimately brought the glory back to the One in whom it belongs: God.

Heb 11 32

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Using the Ordinary for the Extraordinary

Hebrews 11 Bible Study

By Kristen Entwistle

I was a competitive swimmer in high school, and at the end of each season, we would swim in a final regional championship meet.    The fastest forty swimmers from our region and two others would then get to compete in the district meet a few weeks later.    In my senior year, I finally made it to the district meet in one individual event and one relay event with my teammates.

After a crowded warm-up early in the morning, the preliminary heats began.  Only the fastest forty swimmers in each event from our district and four others would get to compete in the state meet two weeks later.

This meet was the culmination of my entire high school swimming career, and I was determined to make the most of it.  I wanted to be that one in a million shot – the swimmer who had no chance of making it to the state meet, but somehow made it.  I wanted to be extraordinary.

I wasn’t.  I had a very bad race, and did not make it to the state finals (which I never really had a chance at making anyway).  I felt inadequate and ordinary.  But my coach reminded me that day that even though I wasn’t the fastest swimmer, and even though I didn’t make it to the state meet, God had different plans for me.  The local newspaper had written an article on me because I was a swimmer with a life-shortening disease who had made it to the district meet.  I was just an ordinary girl, with her own insecurities, challenges, and struggles, but God used me for His extraordinary plans, in ways that I may never fully understand.

I am ordinary, and that’s a good thing.  Because when God uses my story for His glory, I hope that people see Him instead of me.

As we near the end of our study on the Heroes of Hope in Hebrews 11, we come to two ordinary men – Jephthah and Samson – who, just like me and you, were ordinary men with an extraordinary God.

Heb 11 32

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When God Says Go

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By Kristen Entwistle

The next two heroes that we come to in Hebrews 11 may be less familiar to you and me. They aren’t really stories that you’ll find in the children’s picture Bibles on your kids’ shelves, but the writer of Hebrews commends them for their faith.  Gideon’s and Barak’s stories both start the same way – with the Israelites again doing evil in the eyes of the Lord (Judges 4:1, 6:1).  It’s a fairly common occurrence in the Old Testament, actually. The Lord gives the Israelites chance after chance after chance to follow His law, but they keep messing it up – by worshipping other gods and disobeying direct commandments from God.

Take a look with me today, and see how these two men acted in the face of adversity, and why they were commended for their faith.

Heb 11 32

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When I Don’t Know The Answer

Patience, Prayer, Testimony

By Kristen Entwistle

I was sitting on a bench outside today, waiting for a friend.  While I was waiting, a man came over to me and asked if I could take a few photos for him.  I was happy to oblige, and after taking the pictures for him, I went to sit back down, and he sat down too.  He looked at me and asked, “I have to ask, are you married?”

Slightly taken aback, I answered, “No, I’m not.”

“Beautiful girl like you, how is it that you’re not married?”

I have a million answers to that question, but I simply answered, “I’m just not.”

If it hasn’t become clear to you yet, this guy was looking for something other than just a polite conversation.  After a few more questions, when he asked me for my phone number, I politely declined and he decided I wasn’t worth his time anymore, walking away.

This guy’s not the first one to ask me why I’m not married.  Nor will he be the last.  Truth is, many of my friends are married, having children, and moving forward with their lives.  Truth is, I haven’t ever had a date for a plus-one at a wedding, and that makes weddings…well, lonely.  Truth is, I haven’t been on a vacation this summer because I don’t want to go somewhere by myself.  Truth is, I’m feeling a little like a seventh wheel in my family right now, and a lot like a failure.

Truth is, I don’t really know the answer to that question.

I can come up with plenty of reasons why I think I’m still single.  Most of them I’ve heard from ex-boyfriends before.  No one wants to deal with your disease.  You’re not pretty enough for someone.  You’re too fat, too needy, too independent, too headstrong.  No one actually thinks you’re worth their time.  You’ve got too much baggage – no one wants that.  You’re not smart enough.  You’re not enough for any guy to care about you.  

But the truth is, although I may have it in my head that what I want is best, God’s will is better.  And right now, His will is not what I expected, but it is where I am.  And as hard as it may be sometimes, I have to find a way to be okay with where God has me right now.

So I pour into those around me, and do my best to be a blessing to them.  And in turn, they have been a blessing to me.

I may not have a good answer to that question, but I do know that God’s not finished with me yet.  His plan is infinitely better than anything I could ever dream.  And whatever that means for the future, I know that He is good, and His love endures forever.

The God Of My Story

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By Kristen Entwistle

He’s the God of every story,
He sees each tear that falls.
We may not understand but one thing is certain.
He is faithful, He’s a faithful God.

His ways are holier
Than we could ever comprehend.
When our world is shaking,
He holds us in the palm of His hand.

Do you ever feel like your life is crumbling around you, like the walls are caving in, like you are the only one in the world feeling the earthquake that is destroying your life?  Like the storms will never end, the waves never cease, the wind never still?  Like the words you sing on Sunday are infinitely far away on Monday?  Like God is millions of miles away when you’re struggling?

But sometimes we forget who is in the boat with us.

In our boat is the calmer of the waves, ceaser of the wind, Messiah.   In our boat is the one, true, faithful God.  In our boat is the One who formed us in our mother’s womb.  The One who knows the number of hairs on our heads.  The One who has gone before us, died for us, and lives for us.

He’s in our boat, and when it feels like it’s sinking, know that He is faithful to lift you up.  Perhaps your boat will sink.  But you will not drown.  Perhaps the winds will continue to howl for now.  But you will not be blown away.  Perhaps the steady leak will cause you to have to bail some water out.  But your boat will still float.

Because we have the Lord of Creation in our boat.

My boat certainly feels like it is sinking right now.  And it’s easy to forget that the Lord of Heaven and earth is in my boat.  But I’d rather sail the rough sees with Him than the calm waters without Him.  I may not understand it until I get to the other side of this life.  But He’s not going to let me sink, even though I am certainly not deserving of saving.

He is in my boat.  And He is the God of every story – the good, the bad, the ugly, the hard, the easy, the difficult, the seemingly insurmountable.  He is faithful in every stage of life, in every storm, in the calm and in the raging sea.  He is faithful, and I will forever trust Him.  He is faithful.

You’re the God of every story,
You see each tear that falls.
We may not understand but one thing is certain.
You are faithful, You are faithful.

You’re the God of every story,
No matter what I’m going through.
I may not understand, You are God and I am just a man.
Yeah I’m forever trusting in Your plan.
One thing is certain
You are faithful, You’re faithful God.

 

roughseas

A Faith Walk That Matches Your Faith Talk

Hebrews 11 Bible Study,

By Kristen Entwistle

I am an insecure, imperfect, young, follower of Christ.  I do not get everything right, nor do I always say (or write) the right thing.  But for some reason, God has given me a platform to speak His truth into people’s lives.  Me – that imperfect, insecure, young girl.  He chose me.

Fortunately, I’m not alone.  The next woman that we come to in the Hall of Faith is Rahab, a woman of not-so-great occupation, but great faith.

Before the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River, Joshua sent two spies to check out the city of Jericho.  Joshua chapter 2 records that the spies “went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.” (Joshua 2:1, NIV)

The first thing we learn about Rahab is that she is a prostitute.  Not the most ringing endorsement for a woman who ends up in the genealogy of King David, and therefore Christ, but it’s certainly not the last thing we learn about her.

Heb 11 31Download Chapter 9 now!

 

 

 

When His Grace Doesn’t Feel Like Enough

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By Kristen Entwistle

The morning after my last boyfriend broke up with me, I went to church, and sang the words to the song Your grace is enough as I held back the tears from my own breaking heart.

“Your grace is enough, God?” I thought.  “Enough for what?  Enough to heal my broken heart, enough to soothe my weary soul? Enough to be the One to take away the outward scars, and change this sinner’s heart?  Enough to fill the loneliness, the empty spaces, and the void I long to be filled?  Enough if what I long for never happens?  Enough if the desires of my heart – the desires I know You have placed there – never come true?  Is Your grace really enough for me?”

I know that His grace is enough to cover all of my sins.  That His grace is enough to pay the price for the punishment I rightly deserve.  I know that His grace is enough to prepare a place for me where I will live in His presence for eternity. But when my world seems to fall apart – be it because of a broken relationship, an illness, the loss of a loved one, or anything else – and I lose sight of the big picture, do I still believe that His grace is enough?

Deep down, I know that His grace is enough – for everything.  Not just the big, salvation things.  But also the little, every day broken pieces – the breaking hearts and scrapes and bruises from people’s words, the lonely places and the times of doubt.  His grace is enough.

It is not easy, for me, to sit and wait on God.  His timing and His will.  To accept that everything has a bigger purpose, one that I may never fully understand.  To see, sometimes, that His grace really is enough for my broken heart, the lonely places, and the times of doubt.

Because as time goes on, he continually shows me that His grace is enough, His love is enough, HE is enough.  That doesn’t mean that the unfulfilled desires of my heart are easier to bear, or the lonely nights aren’t still lonely, or that people’s words don’t still batter and bruise me.  But His grace is enough, even still.

So I look for the places of thanksgiving, the smallest things.  I look for the times when He is showing me that He is enough – in the two-year old running down the aisle at church to come see me, in the grace others extend to me, in the friends He has placed in my life, in the community I am surrounded by.  I look for the things that remind me that He is enough, so when I find myself in places of doubt and sadness, I remember that He is enough. 

Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Hebrews 11 Bible Study

By Kristen Entwistle

When I was in college, I had to take a class that involved a 12-day wilderness expedition in the Adirondack mountains.  My group spent the majority of our trip kayaking through the waters in the mountain range, but before we set off, we did a few “team-building” activities – two ropes courses – high and low, and a rock wall.

The morning that we got to the rock wall, it was overcast, threatening rain.  I was the last person in our group to attempt the rock wall, and by the time I got strapped in, it was pouring.  The rock face was slippery, hard to hold on to.  As I began to climb up, I would find a few footholds, make it a few feet, and then slip back down a foot.

Two steps forward, one step back. 

When I finally made it about halfway up the rock face, rain pelting my face, thoroughly soaked, I came to a ledge that I had to find a way around.  I tried a few different ways around, under, and over the ledge, but without success.  I looked down at my belayer, and asked, “Can I just repel down?  I can’t get around this!”  My leader looked up at me and smiled before she replied, “You can do it.  I’m not letting you quit.”

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

I was stuck.  Couldn’t go down, I could only press forward.  And that ledge?  It wasn’t budging.

I had to find a way around the ledge, but I couldn’t see a way around by myself. 

The rest of my team, soaking wet on the ground below or above me, began to show me things that I couldn’t see myself.  “Try putting your foot on that hold about two feet to your left!” they called.  “Okay, now put your hand there – yeah, there – and move so that you’re hanging under the ledge.  Now you can maneuver around that rock – yeah, there you go – and put your right foot two feet to the right…”  They continued to help me get around the ledge, seeing things that I couldn’t, until I finally hoisted my soaking wet self over the top of that rock wall.

It’s a beautiful image of what God does with us.  Sees things that we can’t, giving us ways out when we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place – whether literally or figuratively.

Because if we admit it to ourselves, we find ourselves between rocks and hard places a lot. 

And more often than not, like I did on that rock wall, we try to find ways out on our own, when all along we should be placing our faith in and relying on the One who has seen us through every trial, every storm, every rough patch.  The One who bore our sins on the cross, died for us, and rose again, preparing a place for us in heaven.

Heb 11 29

The Israelites were no strangers to rocks and hard places.  And both of the stories that we come to next in Hebrews 11 reveal their doubts and complaints against the God who led them out of Egypt, and the sovereignty and power of God, who provides a way out of those rocks and hard places.

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Joy Defined

Fruit of the Spirit,

By Kristen Entwistle

Webster defines joy as the experience of great pleasure or delight, emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.  By that definition, what might you possess in this life that would bring you joy?  What problems do you see with this definition of joy?

The Biblical definition of joy is a little bit more telling for us, as Christians.  The Greek word for joy, chara, means to extend favor2; the idea is that we experience joy because of God’s grace.  It is not just happiness, or contentment.  Joy is gladness because of what God has done for us. He created all things.  He upholds all things. He gives all things to us and wants to redeem all things. Christ became one of us, walked among us, died for us, and rose from the grave as the victor over sin and death. We are blessed! And in light of God’s many graces to us, we experience joy. This is a contagious response that can’t be kept inside.  Joy must be shown.  Joy is an outward emotion of our inward gratitude because of grace regardless of outward circumstances.

We all express joy differently – some of us respond with dancing, singing, crying, lifting up our hands, but joy should always be the outward emotion of an inward gratitude because of grace regardless of outward circumstances. Note, however, that joy is not the same as mere happiness. Happiness is usually a response to pleasant circumstances. Joy reminds us that God is gracious and working to redeem all things regardless of the present circumstances. This, in fact, means that joy is in some ways less an emotion than an emotional disposition. It is an attitude that looks at what God is doing, whether I am sad or angry or happy. Joy transcends the current situation by putting it into a larger context, the narrative of God’s activity in this world. Do you think that as Christians, we sometimes confuse joy with happiness?

Here’s my operational definition of joy: Joy is the outward emotion of our inward gratitude because of grace regardless of outward circumstances.  I realize that this is a long, complicated definition, so let’s try to unpack it one part at a time.

Joy is an outward emotion: When joy is mentioned in the Bible, it is almost always in conjunction with an action: shouting.  Psalm 47 exhorts the nations to clap their hands and shout to God with joy; in Psalm 27:6, the author says that he will “sacrifice with shouts of joy”.  I’m not usually one to walk out my front door and just shout for joy.  But I am prone to walking out my door and singing – Disney songs, songs from musicals I’ve been in – but mostly worship songs.  I walk out my door and see the beauty God has created, the incredible blessing of having a working car, a job, and another day to breathe.  That’s how I shout for joy  And people see me as they walk by, or as I drive by them, and I probably look like a fool, but I’m shouting for joy in my own way.

Joy is an outward emotion of an inward gratitude: Christ died that we might have life.  He bore the pain that we rightly deserve.  If that doesn’t evoke gratitude, I’m not quite sure what will.  In addition to the gratitude we have for what He did for us, we are commanded to joy in Philippians 3:1, 4:4, and 1 Thessalonians 5:16.  I like what Evelyn Underhill says, “Joy has no name.  Its very being is lost in the great tide of selfless delight – creation’s response to the infinite loving of God.”3  It is a tidal wave of gratitude that causes us to shout for joy.

Joy is an outward emotion of an inward gratitude because of grace: Paul’s words in 1 Peter 1:3-12 speak of Christ’s great mercy that gives us a living hope, and the grace that came to us.  It is because of Christ’s great grace that we should have joy inexpressible and glorious.

Joy is an outward emotion of an inward gratitude because of grace regardless of outward circumstances: In James 1:2-3, the writer tells us that we should consider it joy when we face trials of many kinds, and the writer of Hebrews 12:2 tells us of Jesus’ joy in suffering: “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross”.  In every circumstance, we are to be joyful because of Christ’s grace given to us.  But, we need to issue an important caveat here.  James does not tell us to be thankful FOR trials, but that we should consider the redemptive outworking of those trials. We are never told to be saintly masochists! But we are told to rejoice always.  Always doesn’t mean when we feel like it or when things are going right or when it’s nice outside.  Always means always.  That doesn’t mean that we put on a happy face every time we walk out the door and pretend that we have it all together, that our hearts aren’t breaking in tough circumstances, that all we want to do is crawl into a hole and cry.  Having joy regardless of outward circumstances means that we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.  It means that we are glad because of what Christ has done for us, no matter what we are facing right now.  How can you experience joy even when you are not happy (e.g., when you are sad, hurt, angry, or frightened)?

 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).   May you have joy – an outward emotion of an inward gratitude because of grace regardless of outward circumstance.

 

Read more on the fruits of the Spirit in Allowing God to Cultivate Our Character: Reflections on the Fruit of the Spirit.