Struggling to keep going?

Six pointers from Hebrews, the book of perseverance: -

1.       Keep doing the right thing

When you don’t know what to do, do good. There is always something you can do for others, especially the people of God. ‘God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people, and continue to help them. We want each to you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.’ (6:10-12) And keep it up! ‘Do not become weary in welldoing…’  (Galations 6:9)

 

2.       Stay with the rest of the flock

‘Do not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing…’ (10:25) A sheep that has wandered off from the flock is easy prey for a wolf. Satan is just such a wolf and one of his best tricks is to isolate Christians from other believers. Immediately he has deprived us of one of the most important aids that God has given us – each other.

The Christian life is not a race for individuals.  We will finish as a team, being encouraged and encouraging each other by turns as we each face different difficulties and challenges. Don’t let apathy, relationship difficulties, disillusionment or differences of tradition keep you from fellowship with the flock – you need them and they need you. 

3.       Pay attention!

‘We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard so that we do not drift away.’  (2:1)  What have we heard? The Word of God and in particular the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you don’t want to fall away, study and treasure the scriptures as if your life depended on it – it does. 

4.       Keep on believing and encourage others to do likewise

‘See to it brothers that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God, but encourage one another as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly til the end the confidence we had at first.’ (3:12-14) We know that it is faith that saves us, but that faith must be ongoing. Make no mistake - unless we keep trusting and believing to the end, we will not be saved. So we must be on the watch, because Satan is constantly looking out for ways to break the thread of faith that holds us to God. Therefore ‘…let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.’ (4:14/10:23)

5.       Keep on suffering

Evidently the Hebrew believers had suffered much, and in the face of intense persecution were tempted to turn back. The writer to the Hebrews encourages them that these sufferings were not in vain. If they endured suffering a little while longer, God would reward them richly. (10: 32-39)

6.       Keep doing battle with sin

‘…Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.’ (12:1) The writer describes sin as something which will tangle up the runner’s legs and trip them up in the race.  Therefore it is necessary to engage in mortal combat with sin (12:4) As John Owen said, 'Cease not a day from this work! Be killing sin or it will be killing you.' Our incentive, example and strength in this struggle is the Lord Jesus himself and we must fix our eyes on him. (12:2)