Hebrews 10:35-36

NASB	NLT	VOICE
35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.	35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!	35 Remember this, and do not abandon your confidence, which will lead to rich rewards.
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.	36 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.	36 Simply endure, for when you have done as God requires of you, you will receive the promise.

Biblically Defined Confidence

Confidence refers to the “boldness and assurance” Christian have in our relationship with Jesus. In the context of Hebrews, the confidence described is found in the new covenant established by Jesus’ sacrifice. The command to not “throw away” this confidence shows how important it is to maintain this trust. Keeping our confidences leads to the promise of eternal life and seeing God’s promises being fulfilled. These promises happen both for us now and in the future. It’s tied to the faithfulness of God who seeks Him diligently. 

God’s Work = Our Confidence

Our confidence is rooted in the finished work of Christ. It’s recognizing that we are not bonded to sin anymore but have overcome sin through Jesus’s sacrifice made on the cross. It’s recognizing that we have a place in eternity with God through his sacrifice. It’s recognizing that we can overcome everything because of Jesus’ victory over death, hell, and the grave. How we can apply all this is to remember that God is our source of everything we do. Our strength, wisdom, knowledge, and everything comes from Christ. The more we lean on Him through our faith, the more we can see it happen in our everyday life. It’s not based on our own strength, but based on our faith in His strength. 

Obey and Align

I know I’ve talked about perseverance a lot lately, so let me just remind you of what it is: endurance and patience under trial. It is about remaining faithful to teachings and examples of Jesus and enduring challenges. Doing what God calls us to do involves obedience and aligning to His purposes. Based on the context of Hebrews, it includes holding fast to our testimony and living according to His teachings. Holding to them leads to us receiving the ultimate reward of eternal life and salvation from the bondage of sin. 

Life Done in Community

There’s a lot that we’ve talked about that is heavy for us to manage on our own. The idea of building confidence and enduring struggles sounds overwhelming. Thankfully, we have God that is always with us, but we are also called to do life in community with other humans. Encouragement and support from other Christians are vital in maintaining our perseverance. Life was not created to be done alone, hence why God created Eve from Adam. Now, I’m not saying all of us MUST go out and get married and only that person is allowed to walk with us. A marriage relationship is just one type of community. There are the small group relationships that we can create with people at church. There are the people we work with that we can build a relationship with. Our general friend circle. Our family. The list is endless – but we must invite them into our lives so that they can help us do what God’s will is. We don’t need to invite EVERYONE we meet to join us, but we will find out who will be with us and who won’t be thanks to the discernment process we get from the Holy Spirit.

Reflection Questions

1. How has your confidence been built through the work of Jesus?
2. Who is in your circle as a part of your Christian walk?
3. How can you be a better part of someone’s community?

Call to Action

Take time with God this week to build up your confidence. In your conservation with God, figure out how you can use that confidence to go be a better member of your community. 

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #278