Welcome to Nancy Guthrie’s guided journal “Hoping for Something Better,” which she based on her book of the same title (Tyndale 2007).
New journal entries will appear in your profile Monday-Saturday for 6 weeks. If you missed any so far, stay subscribed to this feed and you can begin when it starts over. Be sure to start your own journal within your Beliefnet profile or in a notebook to respond to Nancy’s prompts.
Day 18
There is something better than giving up and shrinking back. It is holding on and continuing to believe.
Read Hebrews 10:19-39.
When we face problems, and as we prepare for persecution that may be ahead, we need to ask ourselves, Why should I keep on believing even when it may cost me what I don’t want to pay? And what does faith look like in the face of problems and persecution?
To those Hebrews whose faith began to waver as they began to suffer, to those thousands of Christians around the world today who put their lives on the line on a daily basis out of love for Jesus, and to those of us today who deep inside are struggling with questions about whether or not the life of faith is what we thought it would be, this writer says: Don’t give up. Don’t stop. Don’t waver. Keep going.
According to 10:32-34, what had these Christians experienced in earlier days? How did they respond, and what enabled them to respond that way?
According to 10:35-39, what choices are open to those Christians and to us when we are persecuted for our faith? What are the consequences of each choice?
In what area of your life do you need to persevere right now?
–Nancy Guthrie