By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
SABBATH
THEME: DO NOT CAST AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE“
SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:35-36
“[35]Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. [36]For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:”
REFLECTIONS
Living the Christian life is an experience that requires persistent growth in faith. Trust in the Lord deepens as one continues to grow in grace. The more we focus and talk about our blessings, the firmer our commitment to God becomes. However, danger may loom when an individual reneges and returns to their former ways after giving themselves to Christ. For such, it is a great disappointment to God, and their future is bleak (Hebrews 10:26). There is no guarantee that staying on course to serve God is easy. But the grace of God is always sufficient for the seeker, so the apostle said: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” No one understands what you go through, but your inexplicable experience does not change who God is – “God is love.” (1 John 4:8).
Chapter 10 of the Book of Hebrews admonishes and exhorts all believers to hold fast to their faith in the Lord and not trade it for anything transient. Generally, cheap things do not last. Likewise, an easy-going Christian life is a deception and cannot endure. The writer explains the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice in fulfilling God’s will. His death has “perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (verse 14). “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” – verse 23. The formula for Christian growth and spiritual well-being is to live daily by faith. Note, however, that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” – verse 31. We have better and more enduring possessions in heaven, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:” – verses 35-36.
You may have one thousand and one reasons to give up, doubt, and even be angry with God, but you have one million and one reasons you should hold your confidence and not cast it away. No tangible cause exists for anyone to separate themselves from the Lord, the source and meaning of our life. Suppose we can wait for a moment and reflect seriously on the love of God for us individually. In that case, we will not allow suffering, challenges, persecutions, deprivations, disappointments, pain, grief, sour relationships, economic and financial constraints, false accusations, and direct physical, psychological, and spiritual attacks to cause us to give up on Him. Rather than letting go of your relationship with God, let go of what keeps you blind and unreasonable to God’s kind dealings with you. Our love, knowledge, and understanding of God must grow to make us wiser towards decisions that have eternal impact.
Beloved, in addition to the Holy Spirit, you need confidence in the Lord – that He is faithful, He keeps His promises, He is a refuge and present help for the attacked, He does not change, He is all-powerful, He is compassionate and caring, and He does not disappoint. Indeed, there is no other name like Jesus. In Him, you have eternal life and bliss.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 253 – “There’s No Other Name Like Jesus”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for His grace throughout the week; thank Him for specific blessings and even failures, and the experience you have gained; pray to hold your confidence in Him;
– Pray to ask for forgiveness for yourself, your family, church members, fellow believers, and those who persist in sin; intercede for backsliders to return to Christ; pray for the spreading of the gospel;
– Pray for people who are experiencing hardships, struggling with their lives and faith, and those attacked physically by the enemy; pray for those whose confidence in the Lord has waned and those who have kept it;
– Pray for peace, prosperity, and unity in the nation; pray for God’s help in our global economic crisis, desperate young people, and faith to keep our confidence in Christ.
