“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
~ Hebrews 11:6
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you have a hero or heroine? Some kids might choose a fictional character like Spiderman to be their hero. Other kids might say that their dad is their hero. When your grandpaa was a kid, your grandpaa would listen over the radio to Chicago Cubs baseball games. The Cubs games – when your grandpaa was a kid, were broadcasted over KSOO. KSOO broadcasts out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Your grandpaa still remembers the very first day that Ernie Banks played a baseball game for the Chicago Cubs. Ernie Banks and another guy – Tony Taylor, began playing baseball on the same day for the Cubs. Your grandpaa remembers the Chicago Cubs broadcasters talking about the Cubs new double play combination. Tony Taylor played second base. Ernie Banks played shortstop. Your grandpaa was the shortstop on his church’s high school age softball team. Your grandpaa thought that when he got old enough to play professional baseball that he would be like Ernie Banks and play shortstop for the Chicago Cubs. The broadcasters for the Chicago Cubs baseball games – when they talked about Ernie Banks, would often say that Ernie Banks had the quickest wrists of any guy who was playing baseball. The Chicago Cubs broadcasters would also often say that Ernie Banks was one of the very nicest, friendliest and most optimistic guys who they knew in baseball. Your grandpaa wanted to grow up to be a baseball player who other guys would say had quick wrists and who was always nice, friendly and optimistic. Kids oftentimes will choose an athlete to be their hero or heroine. If the athlete is a good guy or gal, your grandpaa thinks that it is okay to look up to an athlete. An athlete can be really good at what he does and a kid may have reason to really like him or her as a person. Your grandpaa really liked the way that Dennis Rodman played basketball; your grandpaa though would never have Dennis Rodman as his hero because of the way that Dennis Rodman is living his personal life.
What would make a guy or gal a hero or heroine to you? A hero or heroine sometimes to a kid is a guy or gal who the kid would really like to be like when he or she is an adult. There are different kinds of heroes or heroines. A hero or heroine may be a guy or gal who put his or her life in danger to save the life of a guy, gal or kid. A hero or heroine may be a guy or gal who was willing to do something that needed to be done that no other guy or gal was willing to do. A kid may chose a guy or gal who is big or strong or smart or talented or . . . as his or her hero or heroine. There are heroes and heroines in the Bible. Is there a character in the Bible who you would call your hero or heroine? A New Testament chapter – Hebrews 11, has a long list of Old Testament heroes and heroines. To be on this list of Old Testament heroes and heroines, the Hebrew Book’s author chose guys and gals who had the faith to believe what God said was going to happen or who did what he or she did in faith believing that what he or she was doing was the right thing to do for God’s sake. Ask your dad and/or ma to tell you what it means to have faith. The Hebrew Book’s author defines faith in the very first verse in this chapter and then wrote in what is now verse 6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Faith is whole-heartedly believing in the one true God – Who cannot be seen. Faith is unconditionally believing in God’s words – words in which can be put every iota of hope.
The Hebrews Book’s author explained why he chose the guys and gals who he included among his faith heroes and heroines. Abel showed faith in God by sacrificing a firstborn lamb to God while Cain went through the motions of offering some of his harvest to God. Enoch’s faith was so strong in God that God took Enoch straight to heaven instead of having Enoch pass through death’s door. When God told Noah that He was going to cover planet Earth with water, Noah’s faith had him build a massive boat for himself and his family and for one pair of each creature that was on planet Earth. Abraham was real a faith hero. Abraham’s faith had him relocate to a place where God told him to go. The place where Abraham settled became and is still the home for God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids. Even though Abraham was already 100 years old and did not have a kid with his wife Sarah, God challenged Abraham’s faith by telling him that he and Sarah would have a kid and that his extended family would one day cover planet Earth. When Abraham’s kid Isaac was a young kid, God told Abraham to sacrifice his kid to Him on an altar. God though – in His divine way, gave Abraham an out to sacrificing his kid on an altar when He told Abraham to sacrifice a ram that He had led to be tangled in some nearby briars. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph were faith heroes because they believed that God was going to make a great nation out of their extended families. Moses’ dad and ma were a faith hero and heroine because they did not let their newborn kid die even though a Pharaoh had said that all newborn boys born within the Israelite people group were to be killed because the number of guys, gals and kids in the Israelite people group was getting to be too many too fast. God’s specially chosen guys and gals were faith heroes and heroines because they walked through the Red Sea with walls of water towering over them and because they obediently walked around Jericho until Jericho’s walls tumbled down. A prostitute – Rahab, became a faith heroine because she hid a couple of spies who had been sent into her country by the Israelite people group’s guys. To be a faith hero and heroine all that you need to do is to put absolute trust in God – which is what the Old Testament faith heroes and heroines did. God will bless you if you do.
Hebrews 11 (197)