“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
“Acceptance” is something that is often difficult to find. For instance, people often fail to gain acceptance within a social group because they lack the qualities that other individuals possess. But such distinctions are irrelevant when it comes to faith. After all, we need not be talented, athletic, popular, wealthy, or intellectually gifted in order to exercise faith.
In light of this, Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that every circumstance of life offers an opportunity to exercise faith. Consider the following message from Paul the Apostle as recorded in the New Testament book of 1 Timothy…
“I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry” (1 Timothy 1:12 CSB).
While it may be easy to overlook Paul’s brief expression of thankfulness, this portion of Scripture highlights our passage from Hebrews in an important way. For instance, Paul did not say that Jesus found him to be good-looking, talented, athletic, wealthy, or popular with others. Instead, He considered Paul to be faithful and appointed him to the ministry.
Paul’s example thus provides us with a pattern to follow. For instance, if we are faithfully executing the responsibilities associated with our current station in life, then perhaps God will enable us to move forward into greater areas of responsibility. And even if He chooses not to do so, at least we can be secure in knowing that our faithfulness is pleasing to Him, just as we see here in Hebrews 11:6.
However, if we are not faithful in the things that God has already given us, then why He would entrust us with anything further? Jesus’ teaching from Luke 16:10 is both sobering and instructive in this regard…
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” (NLT).
So, if we truly believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, then we should live our lives in faithful recognition of that belief. Such faith does not simply believe that a divine being or “higher power” exists. Instead, genuine Biblical faith exemplifies confidence in the God who is reflected in the pages of the Biblical record.