The writer of Hebrews is addressing our need to stand in our faith. The Church, still in its infancy, was enduring severe persecution because of their allegiance to Christ. Many were abandoning the faith, even though they knew that what they had found was better than what they had left behind.
It’s always discouraging when people choose to go backward instead of forward, even when they know that what they have is better than what they left. When the children of Israel ran into difficulty on their way to Canaan, the desire of many was to go back to Egypt—to go back to slavery—rather than to face the challenges of freedom and the Promised Land. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was to chastise those non-Jewish Christians for permitting themselves to be enslaved to the unnecessary rigors of Jewish legalism. And just as it was then, it’s still true today that there are many who, when faced with tough times, will choose to go backward rather than forward.
But when we choose to do that, we are opting for what we know rather than what God wants to show us through faith. It takes faith to stay the course even when things aren’t going well. Going backward is really saying, “I believe more in my personal experience than I do in the Lord;” it’s an admission that, “I don’t trust God to see for me as much as I trust myself.” And we will never achieve what God has for us looking back. Jesus has warned us, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day (Luke 9:62).”
There are times when we can’t live by sight, when knowledge fails, when conditions change, when friends let us down, when money can’t buy what we need. But the writer encourages us, “This faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.” Faith will keep us progressing when others are regressing.
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