Category: 2022 – Hall of Faith

As Trillia Newbell noted in her study entitled A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Study of Those Who Lived by Faith, God wasn’t pleased with Cain’s offering because it wasn’t a sacrificial offering.  Cain offered the leftovers rather than the first fruits. Abel’s offering, however, was a sign of his faith—it was sacrificial.

Abel lived a short life—one that, looking on from a distance, would seem too tragic for anything good to come of it.  He was the first person murdered in the Old Testament, and he died a senseless death at the hands of his own brother.  But in his short life, Abel leaves us a legacy of faith.  His faithful sacrifice is written for us to remember; his faith still speaks to us today.  And it is noted that God counted Abel as righteous because of his faith (Hebrews 11:4).

Most of us will only be remembered by our immediate family—but we can leave a legacy of faith.  May our faith still speak, even if only to our immediate family.

Click here to learn more about Faith from Abel

Five years ago, my community (in the Houston, Texas area) was devastated by the catastrophic flooding of Hurricane Harvey—which inflicted $125 billion in damage, the costliest natural disaster in my home state.

In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches of rain as the system stalled over southeastern Texas. The resulting floods inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, which displaced more than 30,000 people and prompted more than 17,000 rescues.

Our house of fifteen years was not directly impacted—but we did nervously watch the flood waters rise in our street and on our driveway, recognizing there was nothing we could do.  We moved two years ago to another home that was also unaffected by Hurricane Harvey.  However, memories came back this week, as our neighbor’s home was flooded by a failed hot water heater pipe.  Their second story interior ceilings collapsed, and they returned to a house with 2 inches of water on the floor.  They’re looking at a 9-month repair process!

As we continue to learn about the heroes of faith, this brings us to Noah.  The story of Noah’s Ark is perhaps the most known and retold stories in the Bible (from Genesis 6-9).  Even Hollywood took time and money to adapt a comedy based on this biblical story (with Evan Almighty).

Let’s focus on what the writer of Hebrews points out to us: Noah’s reverent fear led to his faithful action.  Noah listened and obeyed God “when warned about things not yet seen”—the flood that would come in judgment of sin. 

Noah’s example demonstrates the importance of faith-filled obedience to God’s direction in our lives.

Click here to learn more about Noah’s “Boat Load of Faith”