Don't Shrink Back

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”(Hebrews 10:39)

 

When we think of the book of Hebrews, our minds often go to chapter 11, the Faith Hall of Fame. In fact, many of us will even be able to quote the first verse of that chapter, ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’  But how many of us remember the verses that come just before that in the previous chapter?

 

This spring our pastor challenged us with those exact verses, Hebrews 10: 38,39. In verse 38, the writer quotes Habakkuk 2:3,4 when he writes, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” In the next verse he goes on to say that in fact, we do not belong to those that shrink back.

 

These verses just seemed to jump out at me over the next few weeks as we worked our way through Hebrews 11. The text presents us with two things, you are either going forward in your faith or you are going backwards. There is no third option, no middle ground, no staying suspended going in neither direction. God has made it clear that he is not pleased with those that decide to go in reverse instead of choosing to live by faith and move forward.

 

So what was I going to choose in my own life, in the daily challenges that I faced? Would I live by faith? Would I take God at his word and believe him for what I didn’t see? Or would I be counted among those that were shrinking back and displeasing God? When put that way, the choice seems obvious. Then why is it so hard?

 

How about you? Are you going forward in your faith, taking God at his word and trusting him for that which you do not see? Or are you shrinking back and in doing so, displeasing the one who loves you and paid the ultimate price to pay the penalty for your sin and deliver you from the domain of darkness for all eternity?

 

Remember, “we are not of those that shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you have called me to live a life of faith, believing you even when I can’t see your hand at work. Help me to never shrink back, but instead to always remember what I hope for and be certain of what I do not see. Amen.

 

Throughout this Day:

The people mentioned in Hebrews 11 had very different outcomes. Yet they all had one thing in common, they did not shrink back. As you go through this day, be mindful of living a life of faith and trusting God in each and every situation.