Enduring Hostility

Day 318: Hebrews 11:32-40, 12:1-13

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” - Hebrews 12:3 ESV

Reading our passage today, and being from the United States, may cause us to feel disconnected from what has been the norm throughout the church's history. Our country provides the freedom to worship, for the most part, without fear of harm.

Yet we are the living legacy of Christians (and Jews) who suffered unthinkably at the hands of their oppressors. Even today, we know that millions of Christians and Jews worldwide live with the reality of putting their lives at risk to follow Jesus. All we have to do is spend five minutes scrolling the World Watch List on the Open Doors website to get a glimpse of what is still happening.

The writer of Hebrews flows from backs being ripped open, to the grandstands of heaven cheering us on, to the example of Jesus and then considering it all as a helpful discipline. This may seem inconsiderate to us, but again, we don't really know what it's like to experience this kind of physical suffering (though it may be in our future, 2 Timothy 3:12).

We do know that God is moving us all forward, encouraging us to take "a new grip" and to "stand firm."

The Christian life is historically hard. Still, at the same time, it is the best life, not only for now but also for all of eternity.

”…as conquerors and as sufferers, they witness to His power and faithfulness; and those who regard them cannot but be strengthened by their testimony.” - Brooke Foss Westcott