Hebrews 11.2 observes, for by it the people of old received God’s commendation. The ‘it’ in this sentence is faith. There is a faith that God commends.

In Part I we began to explore the faith that God rewards as we looked at the lives of the hero’s of the faith listed in Hebrews 11. In part II we continued the journey. In this third part we complete the study.

Picking up where we left off: Eighth, faith obeys God over government (11.23). This theme is fairly common in the Bible, beginning here with Moses’ parents who were commanded to kill him or have him killed but instead kept him alive hoping God would find a way to preserve their child’s life. Their act of faith to preserve their child was God’s way of providing Israel’s means for escaping Egypt.

Today the government or common culture discredits the Christian values of one man and one woman marriage, the creation of life from conception, and the identity of male and female from birth. Many Christians are running scared from standing with God’s ways in order to be accepted by man’s ways. Commendable faith chooses God’s Word over man’s opinion.

Nine, commendable faith is willing to suffer (11.26). This act of commendable faith follows closely the last description for when we disobey the law or the culture there is often a price to be paid. Moses was willing to pay that cost as have many Christians over the centuries including today wherever Christians live with communism or dominant Islam.

So many Christians worry more about keeping their job than pleasing God Who provides all that His children need who depend upon Him. Faith that is unwilling to suffer is no faith at all but becomes self reliance leading to compromise with God’s ways and standards.

Finally, number ten, faith abandons this world in order to join God’s people (11.31). Jesus, God made visible, said that we must be born again to enter heaven. Rahab, lied to her king and betrayed her people in order to preserve her life and save her family.

In the end we must all choose between God and this world. If we follow Jesus we deny ourselves and live as aliens and strangers in this world. If we choose this world no one will recognize us as being any different from them but when God calls every person to account, He will be unable to recognize us as His own.

We can choose to live relatively safe and comfortable for eighty years and miserable for eternity or we can choose relative discomfort and difficulty for eighty years and abundant joy with peace for eternity. Those whose faith is commended by God will live forever with God receiving God’s reward for their faith, a reward that will last forever and ever.

How long will the reward last for which you are now working to achieve?