Hebrews 10:35-36

AMP – 35 Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward. 36 For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promise.

NRSVUE – 35 Do not, therefore, abandon that boldness of yours; its brings a great reward. 36 For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised.

VOICE – 35 Remember this, and do not abandon your confidence, which will lead to rich rewards. 36 Simply endure, for when you have done as God requires of you, you will receive the promise.

Making The Tough Choice

Christian have an amazing access to God through the death and ministry that Jesus endured during His time on Earth. Christians at this point of history faced criticism, imprisonment, and the loss of their own possession for following God. If they returned to their old beliefs, they would abandon the free access to God that came with the new covenant built through Jesus Christ. New Christians were called to trust in their public belief of God, trust that He will provide the promised salvation and eternal life in heaven.

God fulfills these promises will rewards believers with eternality and a completed salvation that will commence when Christ will return to work. These rewards are not based of our works, but it rests in God’s commitment to us and His grace for us. Our faithful endurance and fight shows what kind of trust that we have in Him.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What do you choose: your current way of life with God or without God? If you are a follower of Christ, what made you make that decision? If you are not a follower, why didn’t you make that decision?

Laws or Love

The author of Hebrews reminds people of the tough choice: stay with the covenant of laws or choose the covenant of love! The old covenant was based around the Mosaic Laws that attempted to set apart the ancient Christian communities. There were focuses on different offerings and practices that kept them separated from the pagan societies around them. The new covenant centers on the ministry of Christ and His death and resurrection. Jesus came to provide a fulfillment ot the law and deliver us a salvation that the laws could not give.

Instead of fighting through different layers of laws and procedures, the death of Jesus tore the Temple curtain and gave us access to the Holy of Holies – a place that was holy for the Levitical priests during their once-a-year visit. Jesus gives us access to God directly, so that we can approach His throne boldly and confidently. To give us access to the strength, wisdom, grace, and mercy that comes from the Holy Spirit, which indwells within our hearts. Following Christ may require to change different aspects of our lives, but it boils down to the transformation of our hearts, and how well we can become more like Christ each day of our lives. When it boils down to following complex laws and procedures or creating a transformation within my own heart that leads with love, compassion, and mercy – I know my choice.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you think back to your understanding of the Old covenantal laws, do you think you could follow them in our society today?

Sticking Through Endurance

Christians at that time were already suffering as I mentioned, so the call to continue to endure in spite of all of that is to show that our faith in Christ brings that type of consistent pressure. The trials we face are not a one time thing, but will be continuous throughout our lives. To persevere keeps us moving forward towards God, not far away from Him. God wants us to stay steady and obedient to Him, calling on Him for all things that we are dealing with and staying close to Him through our faith. Not only that, but to love and encourage other people that we interact with. Endurance, in this context, is our consistent obedience to God. God promises us eternal life and ultimate salvation. This rests on God’s faithfulness and is received by those who continue faith.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: This is a reminder to us to endure through our suffering. What does this mean to you?

Relationships Guide our Suffering

It’s weird to think that we are called to power through our suffering. A lot of times when we face it, we are ready to drop it off and suppress. Instead of battling our suffering head on, but we are often ready to either ignore it or going to battle it on our own. However, our suffering is not made for us to handle. We are called to do life with both God and others. God wants us to stay in tune with Him, focus on His will and His heart. He want us to lean into His wisdom and strength to help us power through what our suffering is. God delivers victory to all that believe in Him, and we are called to have faith that victory will be in our grasp.

God will also put people in our path that will help us through our suffering. People will come into our life to encourage, cheer, guide, and motivate us. People will also come into our life to try and derail us. God gifts us the power of discernment to help us go through and understand how we can find community, life, and love through other people. We will need people in our corner to help us navigate the highs and lows of life, with God as our foundation, and through it all – we are making it through life into eternal life.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Reflect a moment on your relationship with God and others. How has your suffering impacted your relationships, for the better or the worst?