Weekly Devotional: Spurring on to hope (14 in Hope and Trust in God series)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… Hebrews 10:19–25

Tenacity. Holding unswervingly. My children can both display tenacity and commitment. My daughter can get lost in her world of imaginative play, creating worlds and relationships for long swathes of time. Similarly, give my son a football game and he’s happy to commit his focus and attention. But sometimes my Sweetie Pyes remain unswervingly committed to a bad attitude or thinking that they’ll never be able to achieve a certain longed-for goal.

Yes, I too can convince myself that someone will never change or that a certain situation is hopeless. I might stew, descending into a mire of mud and sludge. To get free I have to look up and out to God, asking him to send me a life-belt and haul me out while pouring over his cleansing, living water to wash away my dirt and gunk. As he sprinkles me clean, he reminds me of the hope to which I should hold unswervingly. The hope that is the message of the gospel, namely release from our sins by the work of Jesus on the cross.

When our eyes are no longer aiming down, we can lose ourselves in worshiping the triune God or in serving others. Indeed, as the writer to the Hebrews exhorts his recipients, may we not give up encouraging each other in these last days. We need on another, for when one person wavers in unbelief, another can come alongside and spur her on to faith and hope. Sometimes a listening ear is needed, or perhaps practical support such as running errands or washing up the dishes. Or maybe what is most needed is the promise of prayer.

May we too hold unswervingly to our hope that will never fail us. For our hope is personified in the person of Jesus.

To reflect: Who could you encourage today? How could you show them love and good deeds?