Faith That Pleases God

This quarter’s lessons examine how individuals from Scripture lived faithful lives that pleased God. Their stories reveal how we can honor God through our lives of faith. Without faith, our attempts to please God will fall short (see Hebrews 11:6).

Profiles in Faith

This quarter begins by exploring the faith of various people from Scripture. One person who demonstrated unwavering faith is Ruth the Moabite. Because of her faith, she had confidence that the Lord would be with her and her mother-in-law, even in desperate circumstances (see Ruth 1:16–17, lesson 1).
Demonstrating faith is not easy; sometimes faith requires that people stand alone. The young shepherd David faced this reality as he confronted the Philistine (see 1 Samuel 17:45, lesson 2). In doing so, David went against the expectations of his people and his king (see 17:31–33).
Likewise, it was not easy for Mary, a young, unwed pregnant woman in the first century AD. After receiving a word from God, she joined her pregnant relative Elizabeth. Together, the women expressed faith in God’s plan and his promises (see Luke 1:39–45, lesson 4). Similarly, certain Magi faced threats to their lives as they followed God’s directives (see Matthew 2:1–12, lesson 5). Living with faith requires boldness to act and a trust that God will sustain.

Faith and Confidence

Faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, lesson 6). Faith demands that we trust the Lord rather than ourselves (see Proverbs 3:5, lesson 7). King Jehoshaphat demonstrates one example of confident faith. Enemies had come against Judah, resulting in the people’s fear. However, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the Levite, who reminded King Jehoshaphat that the battle belonged to the Lord and the Lord alone (see 2 Chronicles 20:15, lesson 8).
Christians have another reason to be confident: despite life’s challenges, we do not live that life alone. The apostle Paul taught that through faith, Christians become “one body” with other believers (Romans 12:5, lesson 9). As members of that body, we receive spiritual gifts that we can use to serve and encourage the whole body (12:6–8).

Living by Faith

The final unit highlights the role of faith in challenging situations. The prophet Isaiah encouraged Israel to consider how creation reveals God’s power (Isaiah 40:26, lesson 10). The all-powerful God who created everything is worthy of receiving our trust, even when we may feel insignificant.
Living with faith does not mean we will never face trials. Instead, living with faith means trusting that the God of creation will never leave us. After Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused the king’s command to worship an image of gold, they were thrown into the flaming furnace (see Daniel 3:19–23, lesson 11). They had confidence that God would be faithful to them, even if he chose not to save them. In the same way, Daniel demonstrated a life of faith as he continued in prayer, even though doing so might have significantly cost him (see 6:10–11, lesson 12). He trusted in God’s power, even when grave consequences seemed inevitable.
When life’s hardships overwhelm us or when we can’t make sense of the world, Scripture tells us that “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4, lesson 13). God’s people are marked by their faith, even in situations that seem entirely out of control.

by Jon Miller

Unit 1: Profiles in Faith

Date	Title	Bible Text
December 3	The Faith of Ruth	Ruth 1:6–18, 22
December 10	The Faith of David	1 Samuel 17:31–37, 45, 48–50
December 17	The Family of Faith	Matthew 1:1–17
December 24	Expectant Mothers’ Faith	Luke 1:36–45, 56
December 31	The Faith of the Wise Men	Matthew 2:1–12

Unit 2: Learning About Faith

Date	Title	Bible Text
January 7	Faith and Righteousness	Hebrews 11:1–4a, 7a, 8, 17–18, 20–23, 32, 39–40
January 14	Faith and Trust	Proverbs 3:1–8
January 21	Faith and Encouragement	2 Chronicles 20:13–20
January 28	Faith and Transformation	Romans 12:3–8

Unit 3: The Righteous Live by Faith

Date	Title	Bible Text
February 4	Faith in the Power of God	Isaiah 40:12–13, 25–31
February 11	Faith in the Fiery Furnace	Daniel 3:19–28
February 18	Faith in Times of Trouble	Daniel 6:10–11, 14, 16, 19–23, 26–27
February 25	Faith in God’s Purpose	Habakkuk 2:1–5