With the report of faith comes praise. Paul could have said a lot of things about the Christians at Rome, but he commented and praised God for the testimony of faith he heard. And centuries later we know this about the Romans, they blessed both God and Paul by their demonstration of faith.
Have you ever been around a faith person? Someone who believes God and what He has said in His Word and operates in it? When you are around them or you yourself operate in faith, miracles happen. You see people healed, you see people filled with the Holy Spirit and you see lives change. News soon spreads through out the community on the events that take place and people come to see it for themselves.
When we operate in faith and move as directed by the Holy Spirit people start taking because it is obvious to everyone that there is something different in the mix. Word of the Romans faith made it all the way back to Paul and then was reported all over the world. Through their faith they were commended by everyone who heard about them. Paul continued to praise God for their faith every time he thought of them.
The same is true today. Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The therefore is referring to the people mentioned in chapter 11 or what we sometimes refer to as the ‘Faith Hall of Fame', the writer is saying, since we see the testimony of those who have gone before us and have the same testimony of truth written on our hearts, since we are surrounded by this great cloud of witness, let's move forward and press on advancing in the race that we were called for.
When we press forward, towards the goal, believing God, operating in his principals and appropriating our faith, then we join with the countless others, like the Romans, who have gone before us. With this comes the report and accommodation of our faith to the praise and glory of God.
So today as you read this, know that stepping out in faith comes with great reward. My prayer is that you will believe God and what He has said in his word. Know that He is faithful to what he has already spoken and will do what He said he would. It is my prayer that you, like the Romans, use your faith to the glory and honor of our Lord and Savior. Amen.
