Are people of great faith motivated by rewards? The answer, spelled out in today’s scripture, may surprise you. Hebrews 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith,” a litany of notable men and women who accomplished great things for God, and sacrificed great things as well. Contrary to what some have supposed, these heros of faith were not so “spiritual” that they had no thought of being rewarded. Rather, God was pleased by the fact that they trusted Him to provide greater rewards than the world could ever offer.
When we want to discover the key to becoming a “water-walker” and a “risk taker,” the answer is not to focus on conquering our fears; the answer is to focus more on the rewards. When we visualize the prize—when we rehearse to ourselves the joy set before us—when we can almost taste the victory—then our faith will stretch out and overcome our fears.
Hebrews 12:1 declares that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. What are they witnesses to, these faithful men and women of old? They are witnesses to the fact that the risks we take for God are well worth it for the glorious rewards He provides.
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