The first step of a personal relationship with the Lord God of Heaven – The Father – and the Lord Jesus Christ – The Savior – is “faith” accompanied by repentance of sin, and this should naturally culminate in a “fervor” for loving and serving God for a lifetime until our faith becomes sight in the eternal ages to come. That faith is described in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” The next verse that comes in to play for our admonition after salvation is found in Luke 10:27, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.”
For the past couple of weeks, we have been considering the amazing stories of various Bible characters who exhibited a “fever” or “fervor” for loving and serving God throughout their lives. Hebrew 11 reminds us of many of God’s people in the Old Testament who left behind them powerful testimonies of the miracles God performed for them as they risked everything in order to trust, obey and follow the Lord.
Recently, we observed the life of Abraham who had a “fervor” for believing God, and his gift of faith from God enabled him to obtain the righteousness of Christ which fitted him for service here on earth and an eternity in Heaven (Galatians 3:6). Our thoughts today take us to one of the most tremendous stories in the Bible of Abraham’s trusting God. Abraham had been promised by God that he would be the father of many nations through the lineage of his son, Isaac. Despite that promise, there came a day when God told Abraham He wanted him to offer Isaac as a brunt sacrifice to Him. The Bible does not give us a hint of Abraham’s arguing with God, but tells us he arose early the next day to begin a three-day journey to the designated place of offering. Most of us know the end of the story when God stopped Abraham just as he was about to slay Isaac and provided a ram nearby as a substitute. Hebrews 11 records that Abraham had such faith in God that he believed God could raise Isaac from the dead to fulfill his promise.
Another Bible personage by the name of Joseph is listed in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith.” Joseph as a young man knew God and trusted him completely in spite of the great sorrow he had encountered in the early years of his life. Not only had he lost his mother, Rachel, when he was a teenager, but his brothers had plotted to kill him and later sold him to merchants traveling to Egypt. Joseph was dedicated to God and had a “fervor” for purity in his life because of a determination to please his God. When tempted again and again to have an illicit affair with his master’s wife, he responded in Genesis 39:9, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Joseph didn’t have any illusions or wicked thoughts about sowing his “wild oats.” God expects young people to serve him acceptably just as he does adults.
Moses, one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known, was described in Numbers 12:3 as “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” It seems he may have had a problem with his speech, but he had a “fervor” to identify with his people, the Israelites, and to lead them out of Egyptian bondage. Hebrews 11:25-26 tells us that he refused “to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.”
The most important question that we will ever answer is, “Have I placed my “faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ for my soul’s eternal salvation; and, if so, do I have a “fervor” to live every day for Him?” – Randy Zinn is pastor of Russell Missionary Baptist Church, Russell, Ark.; formerly of Okmulgee.
