Whatever it Takes

A series on the book of Hebrews:
A call to faith and perseverance
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 10:19-39 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

  

There are lots of ways to motivate people. When I was in high school, we had an assistant football coach who was 6 foot 8 inches and probably weighed about 300 pounds. During one of our half-times, he was yelling at us as he pounded on his clipboard until it shattered in two. After that, we were motivated!

 

There were many times during the history of Israel that nothing seemed to motivate them to follow God. One such occasion was when Moses was handing over the leadership to Joshua just before Israel was to enter the Promised Land.

 

The Lord told Moses that once Israel entered Canaan, they would reject him by turning to other gods. Following this, the Lord spoke these words of judgement to Israel through Moses.

 

³⁵ I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
    In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
    and their destiny will overtake them.’          NLT

 

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were considering rejecting their faith. The writer quoted the above verse from Deuteronomy to motivate them. He also reminded them how faithful they had been in the past. Even in the face of terrible suffering, they had willingly followed Christ while helping other believers.

 

With such pain and persecution in their life, it’s not surprising that they had doubts. They had lost patience in the promise that Jesus would return. Their hope in him had waned. In response, the author quoted from Habakkuk to encourage them to not give up hope, but to persevere and wait patiently.

 

³ This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.         NLT

 

The writer also reminded the Hebrews about the benefits of keeping the faith.

 

¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.            NLT’

 

The promise of being able to enter into the presence of the Living God, was to motivate them to faith in action. With that in mind, the writer gave them a “to do” list starting with “let us”.

 

^22a let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. ²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. ²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And 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.  NLT

 

My high school coach motivated us by intimidation, fear and the desire to take it out on the other team. The writer of Hebrews used many different methods to motivate the believers, including to remind them about the promises of God, his faithfulness and encouraging them to persevere in their faith.

 

What motivates you to keep following Christ? Is it the promise of his return; the threat of consequences; the encouragement of fellow believers; the faithfulness and love of God; the presence of God through prayer?

 

Whatever it is… do whatever it takes to stay motivated.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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