Verbs Control the Action of the Sentance

The telephone rang and when I heard his voice I slipped out onto the porch to enjoy my weekly phone visit with my son. Now that he is a grown man I only get to see him once or twice a year and this weekly visit over the phone gives me an opportunity to hear what's happening in his world. This week our conversations centered around the difficulty of taking actions and doing the hard things that are required of you.

As it often happens the theme of our conversions lingered in my mind like a song that stays with you long after the music stops. I thought about the dreams I've had in my life, things I thought I would one day accomplish. Thinking about my son's words I realized dreams that simply remain dreams are like incomplete sentences that lack a verb.

Just as verbs control the action of the sentence my faith controls the action that takes me from dreaming about what I'd like to do in my life and what I actually do. When I look at Hebrews 11 I see a list of people who had faith. The Bible tells of their faith not just because of what they believed but the actions they took. Their life was complete and not fragmented because they were not afraid to act on what they believed.

In order to have a correct sentence the verb must agree with the subject. One of the reasons I have often been afraid to act on my dreams is because I have been the subject. I have felt inadequate and therefore I have been fearful and incomplete. However, when I read the eleventh chapter of Hebrews and I see the mighty deed that these men and women did I recognize they all had the same subject of their sentences. Their verbs agree with their subject, their faith flowed from their understanding of God.

Lord Jesus, I don't want my life to be incomplete or fragmented. You have taught me that not only is faith an action but, "Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)