Where can we find the energy to keep going?
Jul 23, 2010
The Base for Grace - part seven in a study of the book of Hebrews
Mike Gaudet
Walking with God is a marathon, not a sprint.
Where can we find the energy to keep going?
“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” Hebrews 3:12-14
The first Christians were Jewish. The choice to follow Christ was costly. Becoming a Christian meant automatic excommunication from the synagogue and from the social and financial benefits it afforded. For instance, because welfare benefits were linked with synagogue life, choosing to follow Christ amounted to choosing to opt out of social security.
In the early days, the unity the Jewish Christians experienced offset the discomfort they experienced. The communal life of the first Christians was exhilarating.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:44-47
Fifteen years later though, persecutions and famines had taken a toll.
Forced to flee from Jerusalem, Jewish believers suffered the loss of their neighborhood and their livelihood. They were forced to work long hours for little pay. Their decision to follow Christ was adversely impacting their children’s futures.
Chronic suffering had eroded their resolve. What once was a heart full of faith was turning into an “unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. They wanted to “hang on til heaven” but their fingers were slipping. They were questioning whether the decision to follow Christ was worth it!
The letter to the Hebrews directly addresses the growing discontent among these Jewish Christians. They were instructed to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.”
Mutual encouragement is the antidote for discouragement.
If we are to keep from being “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” we need a regular dose of encouragement. Without it, difficulties will foster disillusionment and discouragement. Resentment will turn our hearts to stone and render us incapable of being responsive to God.
Endurance is the mark of a follower of Christ. “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” The ability to maintain confidence in God’s care in spite of evidence to the contrary is the evidence of spiritual authenticity.
Mutual encouragement makes endurance possible.
There is a story of a group of mountain climbers who set out early one morning to make their way to the top of a mountain. They stopped to eat and rest at a lodge located half way up the mountain. When several members of the group readied themselves to resume their climb, others decided to remain at the lodge. At first those who remained behind felt good about their decision. As the afternoon wore on though, those in the lodge spent more and more time looking longingly out the windows at the summit.
The man who managed the lodge had witnessed this scene many times before. If he had approached the climbers as each was deciding whether to remain or to continue and had related what he had witnessed before - that at the end of the day they would be sorry they didn’t continue the journey - that person would have been an encourager.
An encourager is one who comes alongside a fellow traveler to influence him or her to keep on the path that is truly best.
When the grade becomes steep and weariness sets in, veering from the “straight and narrow” seems more and more appealing. It is “sin’s deceitfulness” that makes us think that the best option is to give up the journey. At these times, having someone “hold us accountable” by telling us what we are doing wrong is not what we need. We need someone who will walk alongside and help us continue to do what is right. We need encouragement, not accountability.
One of the effects of chronic need is that it polarizes people. Those able to “keep climbing” turn away from those who “remain behind.” Judging one another becomes the rule. Encouraging one another becomes the exception.
God knows that we need encouragement when life’s challenges take the wind out of our sails. He is the fountainhead from whom all encouragement flows. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (encouragement)” 2 Corinthians 1:3
God comes alongside weary travelers and provides them with the strength to walk with Him.
When we encourage one another we are part of His provision.