DON'T LOSE CONFIDENCE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The scriptures are clear on two key things.

First, anyone who believes in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved and have eternal life (John 3:16, Romans 10:13). There is no condemnation of them as, justified by Jesus, their sins are covered and they are destined for Heaven (Romans 8:1, 17).

Did you catch the end of Romans 8:17, the part about sharing in the sufferings of Jesus so we will later share in His glory?

This is the other truth about the Christian life. For although we have a sure salvation through Jesus, that is what’s ahead, the victory that awaits us when this worldly life is over. Until that time, we can rest assured that persecution will come as we boldly go forth and proclaim the Gospel as Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). In fact, He promised it would happen:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:18-20

These prophetic words of Jesus didn’t take long to manifest themselves in reality. For as soon as the Christian church took root in Jerusalem starting in Acts, chapter 2, persecution of Jesus’ followers ensued and it has continued ever since then.

In other words, it wasn’t easy being a Christian in first century A.D. when Christianity was by far the minority religion.

This is why we find the writer of the letter to the Hebrew Christians sending words of encouragement because the believers needed it in the midst of what they were going through. Those words of encouragement were as follows:

“Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

In other words, the writer was essentially saying to his brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t lose sight of the victory you have been given, the certain salvation through Jesus Christ. Hold onto the confidence and hope you have in Him, an assured inheritance of the very Kingdom of Heaven that no one can take away from you, an inheritance that is more valuable than any possessions that someone may have plundered from you. You may suffer in the short term, even imprisoned for what you believe in, but persevere because once God has determined your time on earth is finished because you have carried out His will, then He will reward you richly just as He promised.

Today, Christians are still being persecuted for their belief and service to the Lord Jesus Christ. Even in places where there had been freedom to freely practice Christian faith, we are seeing an insidious infection of intolerance and harassment of those who openly profess Jesus as Savior and uphold His principles and standards.

I would like to tell you it’s going to get better but the scriptures tell a different story and it’s not a pretty one. Thankfully, a large number of Christians will escape the greatest tribulations because of the Rapture but anyone who believes in Jesus after, and there will be multitudes who do, will have to persevere and endure to the end when Jesus returns to judge the world and all mankind. To them, the encouraging words from Hebrews will still be relevant:

“Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.