Don't Throw it Away
Don't Throw it Away
Have you ever thrown away something really important?
One time, I heard a story from a refugee about his entry into Europe. He planned to seek asylum but had received some poor advice. He was told that if he entered the country with identification, he would immediately be deported. So, before clearing customs, he threw away his passport and identification documents in the bathroom. This proved disastrous. Since he could not prove his identity, he was arrested and sat in prison for many months until the government decided his future. Later, he found out that if he had kept his documents, he would not have been deported or gone to prison, but quickly entered the asylum protection process.
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”
We are often tempted to give up and search for better or faster results than God has promised. The author of the letter to the Hebrews notes how much suffering and sacrifice his readers have already endured (v32-36). He says they could endure because they knew they had "a better possession and an abiding one (v36)." This better possession is the object of our faith; Jesus, the great high priest, and his blood and flesh guarantee our salvation now and forever (v19-22).
If it were not for the many wonderful and loving people in my life, I would lose everything: my keys, my wallet, my children. Because of my reputation, I am thoroughly convinced that my physical and spiritual survival is a community project, a team effort. Otherwise, in a fleeting moment of deception or bad advice, I would throw my confidence in Jesus and my passport away.
That's why the author of Hebrews stresses the need for us to "consider how to stir 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 (v24-25).”
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." (Hebrews 10:39)
Thank you for your part in helping me continue to trust our Savior,
Loren