in the world. No book has sold more copies than the Bible and it
continues to change lost sinners into children of God. There are many
amazing stories of God’s faithful people being saved from gut wrenching
experiences. There are many stories of God’s people claiming victory in
the midst of the odds stacked against them.
Here is a look at some inspirational characters from the Bible!
because of the amazing faith they had in chaotic/life threatening
circumstances.
MOSES, THE MAN OF PATIENCE
Moses had an extreme amount of patience with Israel as he led the
hopeless generation through the wilderness for 40 years. They praised
God one minute and then were complaining about God the next minute. We
get bent out of shape over trivial nuances, but Moses even though
distraught with Israel led them with great patience for 4 decades. True,
he did miss the Promised Land because of his disobedience to God
(Numbers 20:8-12), but I know I would not have lasted longer than 1 year
with them.
ABRAHAM, THE MAN OF FAITH
Abraham and Sarah were without children and they were old. Abraham was
100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old when God promised Abraham a
son. (Genesis 17:15-19) Can you imagine the relief when his son, Isaac,
was finally was born? He thought his time was over for him and Sarah to
conceive. So, imagine how amazing that must have been. With such a
joyous occasion, God then put Abraham to the test to sacrifice Isaac.
(Genesis 22:1-14) God wanted to see if Abraham loved him more than
Isaac. What would you think in this instance? I would be brought to
dread, thinking, “Why, Lord? I waited so long for my boy and now you
want me to sacrifice him?” I don’t think I would have been able to
follow through with it. Thankfully we know the end of the story and God
did stop Abraham from killing Isaac, but Abraham was dying inside. He
had no idea that God was going to stop the sacrifice. He was a real man
of faith!
NOAH, THE MAN OF ENDURANCE
In Genesis chapter 6 God tells Noah of the flood that is coming to wipe
out all of creation and that Noah needed to build an ark for his family,
2 of every kind of animal (male and female), 7 pairs of all clean
animals and 7 pairs of the birds of the heavens. Here’s the thing, Noah
was over 500 years old when he had to build the ark. His sons helped him
build it, but some suggest that it took at least 55 years to build it!
That is a LOT of work! In those 55 years, Noah and his sons still needed
to get the necessities for each day too (food, water ect…) Noah had to
have been extremely exhausted by the time the ark was finished. He
endured a 55 year minimum project to save his family and creation from
the flood. He is a man of endurance!
ELIJAH, THE BOLD
Elijah was the boldest of all of the prophets. When wickedness and false
Idols of Baal were seen everywhere in the land, Elijah remained
faithful to God. Elijah went to wicked King Ahab and said to him, “As
the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be
neither dew nor rain these years except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1) He
was afraid of no king on earth. In 1 Kings 18:20-40, he defeats the
prophets of Baal and has them all slaughtered at the brook Kishon.
Elijah was not a man of fear, but he boldly did what God commanded in
all circumstances.
DANIEL, THE MAN OF DEVOTION
Daniel is definitely one to model after. His faith and devotion to
God was unwavering. He refused to defile himself with King
Nebuchadnezzar’s food and wine, and requested only vegetables and water
(Daniel 1:8-16). When the decree was issued that no one could pray to
any god or man except to the king for 30 days, Daniel prayed
consistently 3 times a day to the One true God, knowing that the
punishment was getting thrown into a
den full of lions. And he was thrown into the den after being caught by
the schemers. (Daniel 6:10-16) Daniel did not fear man or death. He was
completely devoted to God.
DAVID, THE MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
David is known as the man after God’s own heart because of his passion
for justice and for his bravery. He wanted to always do things the right
way. When the Philistines came with Goliath to challenge Israel, David
was the only one willing to fight. (1 Samuel chapter 17) David was
scrawny while Goliath towered over all at 9 ft 9 in. He was massive. God
delivered Goliath into the hands of tiny David. When David had every
right to kill Saul, he let him live. (1 Samuel chapter 24) In the midst
of chaos, David always went to God to seek His guidance and help.
“Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my
enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or
the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O
Lord, for Your steadfast love is good; according to Your abundant
mercy, turn to me.” (Psalm 69:14-16) David was solid and just. He sought
out God daily for guidance and help.
JOB, THE MAN OF PERSEVERANCE
Job is probably my favorite character of the Bible. He persevered
through some of the most dreadful circumstances. He lost all of his
children, cattle, and servants at the same time! (Job 1:13-19) He
persevered by worshipping the Lord! (Job 1:20-21) This probably would
not be the first thing on my mind if my children were taken from me.
Then he was struck with loathsome sores all over. (Job 2:7) He
persevered by justly rebuking his wife for her blasphemy and by
declaring that God is sovereign whether we receive good or bad. (Job
2:9-10) Then his 3 friends taunt him for what seems like an eternity and
he still holds fast through it all. He was very strong and persevered
through extremely difficult times. Through his faithfulness, God
restored him much more than what he had before.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, The Underdogs
This is one of the greatest underdog stories of the Bible, in my
opinion. These three men refused to worship the golden idol set up by
King Nebuchadnezzar, knowing that they would be thrown into a blazing
hot furnace. The furnace was so hot that the guards that threw them in
it died! They were faithful to God and God delivered them from the
furnace. They were joined by what looked like a “Son of the gods” who
protected them through it all. (Daniel chapter 3) We can all be inspired
that even in the most dire of circumstances, God can do anything!
PAUL, THE MAN AGAINST ALL ODDS
Paul, formerly known as Saul, was a huge persecutor of Christians. He
constantly threw them in jail or had them killed. Who would have ever
thought that God would choose him to be one of the most influential
writers of the Bible! He wrote 13 books of the New Testament! When Paul
became a Christian, he did remarkable things for the kingdom. He was a
church planter and mentor to Timothy. Honestly, there is someone in your
life right now that you probably think has no chance to come to Christ.
But, God is in the miracle business. If Saul can be converted, anyone
can!
JESUS CHRIST, THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB
There is no one more inspiring then Jesus from the Bible. He came to us
for a reason, to take our sin upon Himself in order that we could be
blameless in God’s eyes. And if that isn’t enough, He was completely
sinless! He did not commit one single sin ever. Now He is definitely
someone inspiring! He experienced all of the temptations we do. He was
tempted in every way and He came out a champion! He laid down His life
for us and that, my friends, is the greatest act of love anyone can do.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for
his friends.” (John 15:13) Let us strive to be more like Jesus every
day!
CONCLUSION
This is a fraction of the many inspiring characters from the Bible.
Others include: Jacob, Joseph, Esther, Joshua, Gideon, Peter, Solomon
etc… I encourage you to take some time to reflect on some of the
characters that have influenced you and model yourself after them. May
God continue to bless you as you live a life worthy of the calling!
No comments:
Post a Comment