“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (Hebrews 6:11-12)

Perseverance is a vital characteristic for anyone on a journey of faith. It’s easy to look at the world around us, with its constant cycle of discouraging events, and lose heart. That is, unless we know the hope we have in Jesus and learn to cling to it until the very end.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to show the same diligence as those who have gone before us. Paul uses a similar picture in his letter to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24). It’s a call to develop a kind of tunnel vision for our faith—to fix our eyes on the goal ahead. Otherwise, the distractions of this world can easily pull us off course and keep us from our mission. We are called to be diligent and steadfast to make our hope a reality.

We can draw so much encouragement from the examples of faith we find in scripture. Many of the great heroes of faith only saw the promise of Jesus from a distance, never seeing it fulfilled in their lifetime. As Hebrews 11:13 says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” Yet, they continued to move forward, steadfast in their belief that faith would eventually get them to the promise.

They were all commended for their incredible faith, yet the story wasn’t complete. “God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40).

Here is the beautiful truth: Our hope in Jesus has been realized. We have already inherited the promise they were waiting for. This is why we can follow their example of perseverance with even greater confidence. As we continue to grow in the grace of God, we will naturally move toward the maturity that the writer of Hebrews has been urging. Everything written in the past was written to teach us, “so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

Personal Reflection Questions

1. What distraction most pulls you away from your faith, and how can you focus on Jesus this week?

2. Knowing Christ has fulfilled the promise, how does this inspire you to persevere right now?

3. Where in your life do you need to practice more patience as you trust God’s timing?