Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
The older I get, the more I see God’s faithfulness in my life, week after week. I have learned lessons about God’s faithfulness through each trial and seen the promises of God fulfilled in my life and those around me. 1 Corinthians 1:9 states, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” How have you witnessed the faithfulness of God in your life recently? How did God see you through or provide a need? Comments are always welcome.
There was a problem of discouragement among the people to whom the author of Hebrews was writing. This discouragement was what caused them to waver from the truth. They needed to stand firm in their faith. Think about when you are discouraged. What happens? Were you frustrated? It might be over a problematic relationship, hard times with the culture of our day, or the economy. This is what these people were going through. Verse 22 says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” That is when drawing near to God, thinking about what Jesus has done, puts one’s relationship with God back on track. Those two words, “draw near” is the solution. Spurgeon has said, “That exhortation, “Let us hold fast,” might well be written on the cover of every Christian’s Bible. We live in such a changeful age, that we need all to be exhorted to be rooted and grounded, confirmed and established, in the truth.”
People will always let us down. But God is faithful and never breaks His promises. When you feel discouraged, write down past answers to prayers God has freely given you, showing His faithfulness of provisions. Reflect on them and watch how your emotions change for the better and your faith is again increased.
Fellowship is vitally needed and found in the Christian community. How the enemy uses frustrations to play havoc in our lives. We need to check in with one another mutually, where opportunities of encouraging one another are found. You may be the encouragement someone else needs and be used to show love to someone who may be struggling with feeling neglected and needing stronger faith and hope right now.
Psalm 105:4-5 declares, “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.” This chapter in Psalms is a hymn celebrating God’s faithful dealings with His people who interacted with powerful people that might have harmed them. Verse 24 says, “And the LORD made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes.” This chapter is a history lesson of the promises of God to the patriarchs in the OT and is a historical Psalm written as a hymn of worship of God’s faithfulness for us to learn from and pray God will do the same for you as you read it.
We can see “the Day” is approaching sooner today than yesterday, a month ago, or a year ago. The Rapture is coming, and we need to hold fast to God’s faithfulness and encourage one another in our love every day (Heb. 3:13). “The immanence of the day was considered to be plain. It is not to be regarded as secret. Christians were to live as if the dawning of the day was so near that its arrival was only just beyond the horizon.” George H. Guthrie.
The effect of waiting for the coming of Christ is our anchor of hope. It gives us endurance in staying put in the storms of life, “inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 1:3b).” This sees us through those times of disappointment, trial, testing, while waiting for our dreams, desires, and needs to be met by holding onto our anchor, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Message states Hebrews 10:23-25 this way, “Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.”
Listen to Anne Wilson’s My Jesus (Official Lyric Video), June 4,2021.