5 December | EVERYONE
«And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.» Hebrews 11: 39,40
Is there reason to be saddened and indignant at the injustices of this world? Of course there are! And many, every day. Everywhere.
Charlie, for example, was fired from his job for not backing up a lie from his boss. “Nobody’s going to die from it. We are not killing, nor stealing. If you do not agree, I do not need you in my company,” the owner told him, before firing him. As he walked out, Charlie felt the earth tremble beneath his feet. What to do? Where to go? How would he deal with his financial commitments? “It is unfair, my God, it is unfair,” he repeated, as he made his way to the bus stop amid the indifference of the crowd.
Tell me, then, is there reason to be saddened and outraged by the injustices of this world? Yes, but God does not abandon His children. Charlie found employment at another company, and today he is one of the managers. The former boss was imprisoned for a public scandal, which also implicated employees who had supported the boss’s lie, for fear of losing their jobs.
It pays to be a person of faith. Hebrews chapter 11 offers the gallery of sons and daughters of God who faced hardship but remained faithful to God despite turbulence. “Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—” (v. 36-37). And yet, as we read in today’s text, they have not yet received the fullness of their redemption.
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These “heroes” lived by faith, faced misfortune by trusting in God, persisted because His grace sustained them. Meditate on their example and do not doubt that, like them, one day—if not already today—you will see that it will all have been worth it. Sing “Faith” (if possible, with your family).