A Lost Car Key

Hebrews 11-Part 5
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  Hebrews 11:6


LET IT GLOW

One morning I had everything I was taking with me to work in my hands when the phone rang. So I put them down in a kitchen chair and answered the phone. After finishing the phone conversation, I picked up everything, so I thought, and quickly headed out the door, locking it. When I reached the car, I looked for my key in my purse, but could not find it. I  checked my pockets, looked around on the ground, but found no keys. The house key was on the same keychain, so I couldn't unlock the house and search for the lost car key inside. At least I had my cell phone in my purse, so I called my husband. He was already at work some 15 miles away. It just so happened that his cousin was finished at the same shop and voluntered to drop of the extra set of keys by on his way home (only 1/2 mile out of his way). In the meantime, I waited inside an old storage building, which had a door that wouldn't close, and shivered in the cold while I waited. Finally, the cousin arrived with the key and I was able to go into the house. I was diligently seeking for those keys when I found them on the same chair that I had dropped my handful of stuff whenever the phone rang.  What a way to start a day! As I sat in the car, waiting for it to warm up before driving off, it dawned on me-I had another keychain in my purse the whole time-it had the back door key on it. Oh man, did I feel foolish. Have you diligently searched for something you misplaced or lost?

The Lord gave us a promise in the key verse-He would reward those who diligently seek Him.
Diligently means to seek the favor of God, worship Him. (Thayer's Lexicon)
To diligently seek means to "seek out" God, in the Greek. Not only "ask" and "seek" but "knock," "strive" as in agony of contest. (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)

Diligent means stedy in application; industrious; persevering; prosecuted with care and constant effort. (Webster Dictionary)

We must have both the desire to please God and the diligence to seek Him. Prayer, meditating on the Word, worship, discipline-all of these help use in our walk with God. (Wiersbe)
Rewarder means a giver of wages. (Young's Concordance)
A person must believe that God will reward people's faith in Him with forgiveness and righteousness because He has promised to do so. (MacArthur)
Deuteronomy 4:29 says But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou shalt seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Matthew 6:33 says But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 7:7 states: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; know, and it shall be opened unto you.

Faith expects great things from God and attempts great things for Him. (Shepherd's Notes)
Just how committed am I to constantly seeking the Lord? Does He get my leftovers in my schedule or the first thing in the morning? Am I walking with Him throughout the day?


LET IT GROW


Now that I know I am going to be rewarded when I diligently seek God, what else can I learn from verse 6?

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Period. End of discussion. No, not yet. What does it take to please God, I mean really please Him, Creator of the universe, owner of everything? Is there anything I can do, be, or have that would make God pleased with me?

Accoding to Young's Concordance, please, used in this verse, in Greek is the word euaresteo, which means "to please well."

1. So in order for me to "please God well," I need faith.
2. Faith requires that I come to God. I must possess an attitude of total dependence on God, and availability to God. I come to His throne, His grace, to pray unto him, to implore His mercy, help, assistance. I come into the house of God  to worship Him, serve Him, enjoy His presence, have communion with Him; doing so with all my heart; going through Christ, and by faith.
3. Faith requires that I believe God is there. It means I must have unswerving confidence in His presence, which I can't see, and in His concern, which I may not always feel. I must believe that God exists. I must believe in the three Persons in the Godhead-God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. I must believe that God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (everywhere all the time). I must believe He is all sufficient; His grace is sufficient for me; He is the God of grace, love, and mercy; He is the God of nature and providence; He is the covenant God and Father of Christ.
4. Faith requires that I trust God to keep His Word. There was a time when God spoke audibly, inscribed His truths on stone tablets, and spoke through prophets. Now He speaks throughHis Word, the Bible, and His Holy Spirit.

[Resources: The John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible, a Bible study guide on Hebrews by Charles Swindoll]

Your relationship with God is largely determined by your faith. Faith keeps you in a trusting relationship with God in the midst of your problems. Faith has to do with  your relationship with God, not your circumstances. (Blackaby)

Do I trust God by faith with everything in  my life, with all my needs, and with my eternal life?


LET IT GO

Have faith that pleases my God.

I believe that God exists.

I believe that God will reward me as I diligently, seek Him.

Trust God to keep His Word, promises.

Trust Him with everything.