Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said,“I will take revenge.I will pay them back.”He also said,“The Lord will judge his own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:26-31

Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while,the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith.But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
Hebrews 10:32-11:1

Dear God, this all started with Hebrews 11:1 being the verse of the day for Bible Gateway. I decided to go back and look at the context for this fairly famous verse: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” It’s interesting to see the ramp up to that verse that was arbitrarily cut off from the preceding verses by someone deciding there could be a chapter break put right there.

With that said, the thoughts that stand out to me are, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” and the faith the author of Hebrews is specifically referring to here is one that is the desperate faith a person has in your existence that comes in the midst of suffering for that faith.

My first inclination is to say that I haven’t suffered for my faith in you, but it occurs to me that I actually have to some extent. There is one family member in particular who is very disdainful of my faith. And I’ll admit that there are times when I imagine that person reading something like this and judging me harshly. Disdainfully. I think that he somehow thinks my faith in you cheated him somehow. That it made his life worse. That breaks my heart. It also sometimes makes me ashamed of my faith (I sat here a second before I wrote the word “ashamed” because I wasn’t sure that was the right word to use, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it was, indeed, the right word).

So why am I still here even though I sometimes feel ridiculed and judged for my faith in you? Even though I feel ashamed? Well, because I truly believe in you. I truly believe you are the God. Jesus is truly your son/my savior who offers me grace in the midst of all of my sin. “Beauty for ashes, strength for fear, gladness for mourning, peace for despair.” (“Beauty for Ashes” by Crystal Lewis and Isaiah 61:3)

Father, what do I have but you? Holy Spirit, who can comfort, counsel, and guide me but you? Jesus, who can heal and give me grace but you? You are my God. I pray for the fruits of your Spirit to be known to those around me. I love them.

I pray this in the name of the Triune God,

Amen