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Faith Is Present

(He3:7-19)

God is the living God.

He is living yesterday, today and tomorrow (Rev1:8, 18), and

He is the God of the living (Mt22:32).

Faith is believing Him and

The life of this faith is putting all effort to keep one's faith living in the present tense.

While people boast about yesterday and assert about tomorrow,

God stresses on the present tense of faith, the faith that is living now, this day.

Thus, He wants the faith that does not stay in the past as a concept but rather moves now for

Even as all things that He created will pass away in history,

God is He who was and is and is to come (Rev4:8).

God made man a living being, and

Gave Him the word to not eat the fruit to raise him to life (Ge2:7, 17; Dt8:3).

For his heart was hardened, however,

Adam disobeyed and was banished from the Garden (Ge3:6, 24).

But by faith, when Abraham was instructed by God to leave his home country

He obeyed and lived the rest of his life in tents (He11:8-9) and

By giving his only son as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah after traveling for three days,

He became the ancestor of faith (He11:17-19).

Moses was called by the I AM (Ex3:14) and

Delivered the Israelites from Egypt and led them to the desert.

While there were 603,550 adult males, excluding the Levites (Nu1:46), who left Egypt,

None but a few of faith, Joshua and Caleb, entered the promised land (Nu14:22-30).

They all fell in the desert and died during the 40 years because

Despite seeing miracles everyday

They grumbled against God and tested Him ten times for

Their hearts were hardened and unbelieving (He3:8-12).

The golden vase with manna inside the testimony of the sanctuary

Reminded them for generations how

God provided daily bread to those who were living (Ex16:31-36).

Then, Yeshua said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn2:19), for

Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,

He would give the souls of men the bread that they would eat and never die (Jn6:31-36), for

He is the I AM who is before Abraham was born (Jn8:58).

As He died, He said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Laid down His life willingly for He believed in the Father who is living (Jn10:17-18);
2) Condemned the devil whose heart was hardened and opposed God (1Jn3:8); and
3) With His blood redeemed the sins of men and gave them life (Lev17:11; Mt20:28; Jn6:54).

He resurrected and

Revealed His living presence to the living (Jn20:26-29).

The Holy Spirit who comes out of the Father to this day (Jn15:26; Rev22:1-2)

Comes in the name Yeshua and

Seals the faith that is living in the present tense (Eph1:13).

The Christian neither boasts about yesterday

Nor worries about tomorrow (Mt6:30-34; Jas4:13-17).

Instead, he does the most urgent work given this day ”

To raise his faith to life and

Arrive in paradise after death (Lk23:39-43).

O Lord,

Like the Israelites who,

In spite of seeing countless miracles during the exodus and in the desert,

All perished during the 40 years of the desert life,

Despite the many gifts and signs we have received and experienced

We still worry about tomorrow's bread,

Neglecting the most pressing work of this day!

Let there be no yesterday or tomorrow for us

But only this day! Amen.