You Need To Persevere

 

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back. But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Hebrews 10:32-39

We are constantly advised not to, “bite off more than you can chew.” At some time, however, we will likely feel overwhelmed by the size and difficulty of a task we have agreed to do.

This can happen even in our walk of faith in Christ when our commitment to God seems too much to bear. But the Lord has an encouraging word when our confidence wavers.

The writer of Hebrews urged his readers to recall the courage they demonstrated during the early days of their faith. Despite public insults and persecution they aided believers in prison and they joyfully accepted the confiscation of their own property. We are told not to cast our confidence away. We are told that confidence has great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

Our confidence is not in ourselves but in Jesus and His promise to return at just the right time.

It is God’s power that enables us to continue in our journey of faith. Recalling the Lord’s faithfulness in days past stirs our confidence in Him today.

Trusting God’s faithfulness stirs up our confidence.

Our Daily Bread – August 21, 2014