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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Laying Down the Law

Romans 14:13-19

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2014%3A13-19&version=NIV;NLT

  

Parents set boundaries for their children all the time in all different areas of life. In response to the question of “What are some TV boundaries that you set for your children?” my daughter had three rules:

 

       No TV after dinner.

 

       Only 1-2 hours of TV at any one time.

 

       No TV while eating dinner.

 

Then, just in case, she installed an app on her daughter’s phone that locks her out from 8 pm to 7 am.


Parents set boundaries for their children. Sometimes they make rules. But when they get really firm, they lay down the Law.

 

Paul is writing to the Roman believers about a hot button issue of the time. Jewish Christians believed the Law prohibited them from eating meat that had been offered to idols. Whereas, Gentiles had no problem eating the same meat. This became such an issue that the Jerusalem council had to deal with it.

 

Paul wrote to the Roman church, “stop condemning or judging each other”.

 

¹⁷ For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. ¹⁹ So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. ²⁰ Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat.          NLT

 

In our culture today, we don’t really relate to conflict about eating meat offered to idols. But we can relate to judging one another. We judge others based on how they look; where they live; how they affect our life; how they act in church; what they smell like; if their beliefs match ours. The list is endless.

 

We all have our own set of rules based on our values and priorities. Then we apply those rules to others. What rules do you apply to your family; to your co-workers; to people at church; to the stranger in the car who cuts you off? Do you build others up or tear them down?

 

Once you’ve answered those questions, remind yourself of what is truly important; that only God’s word and people are eternal. Then live a life that will “aim for harmony in the church and build each other up”.

 

 

 

 

Encourage One Another

Hebrews 10:19-25

 

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… NLT

 

Recently I met my daughter at our church to rehearse for a duet that we are singing. Between the sheet music, a water bottle and, oddly enough, four bars of soap, she had her hands full. She had brought the soap to donate to a ministry to the poor that our church is supporting. Her example was motivating.

 

Fourteen years ago, when I was going through a very dark and difficult time, a friend met with me for lunch and asked if I would want to get together each week and pray for one another. As a result, virtually every week for the past fourteen years, we have met for breakfast and done just that.

 

There are many ways that we can encourage one another in our faith. Sometimes it happens by example like my daughter, and other times it is intentional like my friend. Regardless of how it is done, we help each other to pick ourselves up.

 

The above verses follow a passage that describes the sacrificial system that the Hebrews had followed for centuries. The problem was that the animal sacrifices never really took away their sins; it was just a reminder of them. However, Jesus was the sacrificial lamb that, once and for all, took away our sins.

 

What does that mean for us today?

 

²² …let us go right into the presence of God… ²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm… 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…  NLT

 

What Jesus did for us was a miracle. However, don’t discount what we can do for one another. In a very real way, it was just as much a miracle that my friend reached out to me during those dark times, and helped pull me through “right into the presence of God”. He was the hands and feet of Jesus to me.

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you, or touched your heart through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)