This past weekend, some friends and I visited the Billy Graham Traning Center at The Cove in Asheville and had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Jim Henry teach. He took us through Hebrews 11, The “Hall of Faith”.

None of the examples included in Hebrews 11 were perfect, as no person is,  but God commended them for their faith. One of them was Abel. We first find Abel in Genesis 4. Able was murdered by his brother Cain after making an acceptable, or right, sacrifice to God while Cain did not.

In Hebrews 11:4, Abel’s faith is commended by God, and because of his faith, he still speaks through the pages of God’s Word. Abel’s name means brevity or brief. As I listened to Dr. Henry teach, I thought about the brevity of my life. I want to be a woman who lives a life that worships God, and submits and surrenders to his perfect will. Each day, I want to worship God with my praise, service, and resources. I want my life, like Abel’s, to be a right offering. I want to live a life of faith believing in the certainty of God.

I want to be that woman, who lives in such a way, that after I am gone, my faith still speaks. I want to be commended by God. The goal of our lives should be to bring praise and glory to God and make his name known. Leave a legacy of faith that long after you are gone, you will be remembered for your walk with God. Be that person whose eample of faith in God still speaks.

© 2018 Robin R King

Genesis 4:1-8 New International Version (NIV)

4 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” ² Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. ⁴ And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Hebrews 11 New International Version (NIV)

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.