Perseverance. How the book of Hebrews speaks to our lives today.

A few months ago I was led to dive into the book of Hebrews. If you’ve ever done that, you quickly realize it can be pretty confusing. Often considered the second most difficult to understand book of the Bible, second only to, you guessed it, the book of Revelations. It’s not a long read but I’ve been in it for months trying to make sense of why I felt called to plant myself there. Though committed to finishing, I was halfway through and didn’t expect to understand another word. What I received blew me away in the best way.

So, what’s the point?

Every part of the bible speaks to us and reaches exactly where we are in every moment. You can read the same scripture(s) and apply it in your life during different circumstances and it will reveal and guide you in the right direction specific to what you are living or seeking in that moment. The author of the book of Hebrews had a few key messages for believers:

1. Jesus is superior to all. Every man, every angel, any that came before Him. It is only through Jesus that we inherit salvation.
2. Perseverance is not optional. We only receive what has been purposed for us if we keep going, having faith.
3. Spiritual growth is necessary. It’s the only way we know how to do what’s right. At some point, we have to reach enough maturity to teach others.

The people in Hebrews were facing persecution and hard times. The things they were experiencing weakened their commitment to Christ and the people were at risk of drifting away. Hebrews 5:11 (NLT) says they were “spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen”. Does that sound like a particular time in your life? It’s kind of painful to admit but it definitely sounds like many times in mine! We may not walk through the same experiences but we all know what this is like today. When life seems to be nothing but hard times, all the time, for a long period of time, doing things our own way can certainly seem like the quicker fix over faith. Many times, we don’t even realize we’re doing it! The book of Hebrews reminds us to have confidence in the promises given through Jesus (trust the relationship) and to push through in-spite of circumstances.

Finding relevance in the book of Hebrews for your life today.

Are you thinking, what does any of that mean for my life today? No problem, I got you! We need to focus our hearts and minds on Jesus being supreme because without that firm belief we will always be looking to something else to fix our circumstances. If my car is old, has lots of issues and I decide to buy a used car; I like to call this a “new to me” car, I cannot have faith that it will get me where I need to go better than my old car if I don’t believe that it is supreme! Better than the old one I had. To believe Jesus can do all things, better than anything or anyone else in the world can, you have to first believe that He is supreme over all.

But what about perseverance? If you’re thinking, easier said than done, you’re right. This is why we need each other.

24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some           people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. - Hebrews 10:24-25

Have you ever heard the saying “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always gotten”? This is why we must grow spiritually! That quote has been attributed to several different people over the years and can be true of many of our actions. Regardless of who said it first, this is also why we need to grow spiritually! I will never believe for more than I have right now, whether it’s peace, joy, finances, health – you name it, If I don’t grow in faith. Our faith has to match our desires and there will be no believers after us if we never know enough to teach others!

I’ve been a stagnant believer. Have you?

Let’s get into a little life history. 2022 was rough. In fact, it was the culmination of 4-5 extremely hard years for me. Here and there I had “above water” moments but I’d never get to stay there. This last year in particular felt like a constant, never-ending hole that kept getting deeper and darker.

My dad’s health challenges, his passing, all of it on repeat from mother’s passing just a few short years prior. Being single is weird. Divorce requires a lot of undoing! Single-moming it out here is tough. Do I need to mention how money just doesn’t do what it used to – these prices are high! Co-parenting, the struggle and the sacrifice. I can go on but you get the picture. I’ve felt so hopeless. It was as if where I was in that moment was the best God had for me and I even started to accept that as truth. This means I nearly quit trying. Did I truly believe that Jesus was superior to all of this stuff? I nearly quit trying. Spiritual growth where? Exhausted, lonely, and even angry with God, I was stagnant. My heart was definitely regressing. As much as I told myself I still believe, I still have hope, I didn’t really think that at all. I was just going through the motions. You see, this is why I needed the book of Hebrews. Life was hard, all the time and I needed to be reminded.

Let’s do this!

Isn’t it beautiful how the word of God can truly be alive and active in our lives today? There is purpose in every ounce of what we experience in life. It was not my best guess that landed me in the book of Hebrews over these last few months. I didn’t just wake up one day and think, this will be a great read. Ain’t nobody out here just picking Hebrews for fun! Jesus hand-picked this word (the whole book) for me, exactly when I needed it. I just needed to listen.

Here are a few practical things you can do today to activate the word of God in your life:

• Pray – Your prayer can be as simple as, “God guide me to the word you have for my life right now”. You may not know immediately and that’s ok. Take your time in prayer with God.
• Read – Listen to the prompting you received from your prayer. Go there and take your time.
• Connect – Find community! If you don’t belong to a church, pray for guidance and find your door! (See Hebrews 10:24-25)