Daily Devotionals

Would You Rather? Week 5 Thursday

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23

I have a confession. Throughout my years in high school, I joined a cross country team not once but twice. Each time I joined, I lasted one week. I lived in South Georgia, where the humidity is so thick you could swim in it, and decided I was not cut out to run long distances in the heat while also swimming through the humidity. As a result, both times, I quit. Why? I did not persevere. I let my discomfort dim my perseverance. Because I let go of perseverance, I did not remain faithful to cross country. On a much deeper level, perseverance is required for faithfulness at any level, including faithfulness to God. 

The book of Hebrews is a call to persevere in our faith. In Hebrews chapter 10, the writer says to followers of Christ, “let us hold tightly without wavering to hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise” (verse 23). This call to “hold tightly” is indeed a call to perseverance. After all, perseverance requires “holding tightly.” This means that perseverance was never meant to be easy. It calls for grit, hard work, and determination. When we think about having perseverance in our faith, this verse is a reminder to work hard in order to have thriving faith. It means consistently communicating with God by praying and reading our Bibles. It means not giving up when life is difficult. We must not let our discomfort in life dim our perseverance in our faith. 

If perseverance requires so much hard work, some may wonder why anyone would put forth the effort to persevere. The answer is simple: the reward for perseverance far outweighs the difficulties of the race. That is why many runners continue to run, even though running is difficult. They know that they will be rewarded with good health. The same is true in our faith. There is a reward for perseverance that far, far outweighs the difficulties of perseverance: God will be faithful to keep His promises. What are His promises? Eternal life and forgiveness of sins to all who believe in Him. Whatever challenges life brings, we can look forward to this eternal life in Christ. That promise is far greater than any pain that perseverance brings.  

Are you feeling tired today? Have you felt fatigued by your own perseverance? I urge you to hold fast to your faith. Do not give up! God keeps His promises. Remain faithful to Him. Remember, rewards get distributed at the finish line.

Moving Toward Action

Sometimes when we are struggling to be faithful and live out what we claim to believe, we need a reminder to persevere. Particularly, we need a reminder from Scripture. Take some time today to memorize Hebrews 10:23. When you feel like giving up, bring this verse to mind and let it encourage you to persevere.

Going Deeper

Read Hebrews 10:19-39 (NLT)

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said,

“I will take revenge.
    I will pay them back.”

He also said,

“The Lord will judge his own people.”

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

“For in just a little while,
    the Coming One will come and not delay.
And my righteous ones will live by faith.
    But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.