Hebrews 10:32-35

Summary retelling of Hebrews 10:32-35

The author of Hebrews asks us to recall a time after we had come to know Jesus Christ, specifically a time where we encountered some difficulty or persecution.  Perhaps the difficulty was because we were doing something wrong and were rebuked.  Perhaps the difficulty was because we were entrusted by God to rebuke someone else.  Specifically for the audience, the author reminds them when they were generous out of their own possessions to support people who were imprisoned.  They were generous because their minds were focused on a “better” possession.  Therefore we are told to not throw away our confidence in Christ because it has an incredible impact on our life.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Difficulties come in life.  In fact, one might say that the more in line you are with God and the less in line you are with the world, the more likely difficulty will come.  When we make decisions that the rest of the world would not make and especially for reasons the rest of the world does not understand – we can expect difficulties.  When we teach others to do the same, we can expect to have to help others through their difficulties, too.  Things do not become “perfect” when we choose to follow God – if that happened everyone would do it!  No, things become difficult because we are choosing a way contrary to the rest of the world.

Does this part of this section inspire you or cause you to worry?  If we can expect difficulty, why is it important that we make sure that we are connected to some kind of community?

Second Thought:

The author also reminds us how our perspective affects our actions.  If we are focused on the hope that we have graciously received through no deserving matter of our own, we will likely be willing to be generous and help others endure their own hardships.  When we are focused on the promise of eternal life that is waiting for us regardless of what happens to us in this life then we will be far less likely to care about the hardships we might endure here.  The more we focus on God and His promises, the less we become concerned about the things of this world.  The more we realize that this world can never take away what we have in God, the less the things of this world are actually important.

When you think about God’s promises, of what specifically do you think?  When you think about eternal life, are there certain things onto which your mind holds?

Third Thought:

Therefore, we should not toss away our faith.  It is so easy to forget to focus on the eternal.  It is so easy to get caught up into the things of this world.  It is so easy to get lost – even in the busyness of things we think are good!  But when we lose our focus on Christ and the eternal promises we also begin to lose our focus on the anchor of our faith.  When we forget about the eternal, we become less likely to be able to do what God asks of us.  It is our hope in the eternal – the things the world cannot take away – that really helps us stay on track throughout the ups and the downs of this life.

Why does hope play such an important role in the faith of a Christian?  Do you think it is easy for you to lose sight of our hope?  Do you ever get distracted and focus on things other than our hope?  Why?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 10:36-39