Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: James 1:1-18 and Hebrews 10:32-39

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! ³⁶ Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36

Like those to whom James wrote, the readers of the letter to the Hebrews had endured great persecution. They had experienced public ridicule, beatings, imprisonment and the confiscation of their property (v.v.33-34), and yet they had “accepted it with joy”. How was that possible? Because they “knew there were better things waiting (for them) that will last forever” (v.34). They had their eyes fixed firmly on the future reward which Jesus had promised to them if they remained faithful.

Their “confident trust in the Lord” during these times of pressure and persecution had led them to lives of “patient endurance” as they awaited the reward the Lord had promised them.

In a similar vein, James exhorts his readers with these words: ^“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12

This is the great reward the author of Hebrews also had in mind – the crown of life that God has promised to His beloved. If we are to remain faithful during great difficulty, we need to hold firmly to the promises of Jesus that He will give us abundant life in this world – a life which also lasts for all eternity and which, after death, also includes great eternal rewards for the good done while in the body (2 Cor. 5:10). The troubles we face now will not last forever. They will end. And when they’re over, the Lord Jesus Himself has promised that He will richly reward us – not with a crown of gold but with a crown of life – both in this physical body and in the eternal resurrection body.

Lord Jesus, help me to hold firmly to You and Your promises during the tough times I face, knowing that one day a rich reward will come. And when I think about it, how could it be anything but rewarding to be pressed deeper into You by my hardships? You are the greatest reward I could ever wish for. I love You. Amen.