“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

There is no doubt, whether you are a follower of Jesus Christ or not, that there are many things in this world that just make you want to throw in the towel and call it quits. The world is full of discouragement and distractions, but it is not the world that we are to put our hope in! Our hope and our foundation is rooted in the only One that can make everything okay, that is Jesus Christ.

God knew how terrible the world was and it is because of His great love for us, that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us! This was so that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) You see, the world cannot give us life, it is only through Jesus Christ that we can have a life worth living! This world may not offer much encouragement, but it is not the world that we are called to love, it is the people in it. We cannot allow the enemy to distract us from loving others by showing us all the bad around us.

We must see this world and those who live in it, with the eyes of Jesus Christ. You have to remember that Jesus died for the sinful and the ungodly people that we are. He did not die for us on the cross because we deserved it or had earned it. We are called to love the way that Jesus loved and when we start asking to see with the eyes of Jesus, this becomes possible.

“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”
(Hebrews 10:32-35)

Our confidence and our joy is not of this world. We can rest and hold fast to the hope that we have in Jesus Christ! When times are not great, we can use verse 36 to remind us why we keep fighting, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” What we must not forget, is that Jesus told us this life would be difficult just as it was for Him. However, it is our faith in the One who abandoned the grave and the promises from God that we are able to persevere and press forward toward God’s will for us.