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In Australia, a crazed gunman once burst into a restaurant and started shooting. One customer stepped in front of his wife and took a bullet to protect her. As he lay dying, he told her, “I am going to be with the Lord.” People with faith in Jesus Christ know that when they leave this life, they will be with Christ forever. Sadly, many others today cannot grasp the unseen — a spiritual reality far more lasting than physical life. By faith, Abram could see beyond the temporal. So when God called him to leave home and go to another land, he did not hesitate to go. The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 11 that when he reached the land God promised him, he did not settle down but lived in tents like a nomad — he was looking forward to a city that was eternal, one designed and built by God. Contrary to how some people define faith, it is not merely asking and expecting health and wealth from God. Faith is confidently pressing forward in obedience to what God has revealed. The results of faith may vary as the book of Hebrews tells us. Yes, some are rescued, achieve success in life, and get some of what God has promised; but others are mocked, beaten, tortured, put in prison, and killed. Faith enables us to persist because of our confidence in the Promise Maker, God.
