By faith...

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)

Take a walk down the Hall of Faith as described in Hebrews 11 and notice the faces on the featured portraits. If I was the curator and given the task to name the award winning few, I am not sure I would have chosen this bunch. These characters all had portions of their lives that they would like to forget…or at least not broadcast for the whole world to know. For example, deception and manipulation defined him yet by refusing to bow to convention and rejecting similar manipulation at the end of his life, Jacob/Israel is described as a man of faith. Joseph spent many years in captivity in Egypt but with faith, he left a vision of hope, prosperity, and freedom back in the promised land for his family. Timid, afraid, weak and self-absorbed, Moses was transformed by God into the leader of a great and mighty nation. Rahab, though a prostitute, was given a scarlet cord guaranteeing her life and safety because of her act of faith and kindness to the spies and later even married into the royal line of Jesus. Their faith walk made the difference in their lives and redeemed each one. And why are these the stories God chose to share? Because, each story could be our story and there is nothing too hard for God. Believing that God can do what he says He can do (as Beth Moore prompts us to say) gives us hope for our future and those of our families. They were certainly a rag tag bunch but they managed to turn the world upside down because of their faith. Imagine what He has in mind for us! I'm believing God!!