Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
A Life Lived Out by Faith
I love this section of Scripture in Hebrews chapter 6, verse 10, because the book of Hebrews provides—not only for the people who were receiving this letter, but even for us today—a lot of conversation about a life lived out by faith.
This whole book continually, over and over again, reinforces the power of walking in rhythm and allegiance with the living God while we're here on earth. I love that this verse provides some encouragement that if you do this—if you walk in fidelity and in rhythm with the living God—He will remember what you're doing, and you can trust that He's aware of what's happening.
The One Who Is Watching
This is an encouragement for us not to focus on what other people can see in our work for God as our primary concern and area of awareness. In other words, what I get from this is this reminder that if you are faithful to God, to do the things that He has called you to do for His glory, to advance His Kingdom, the One who really needs to be aware of this is the One who is watching from afar—above, over, and in all things—the God of the universe.
What I think this brings to mind for me starts out at the beginning of chapter 6, a little bit before our verse. There's a conversation about how there should be maturity in the followers of Jesus over time that moves on from elementary things. What we see in our Verse of the Day is a representation of someone who is mature in their way of thinking about their Christianity and their way of faith.
They're not focused on their perception, but they're focused on their fidelity to God.
For God or With God
What this brings to mind for me—and maybe it will be an encouragement to you—is what I have to tell myself so often so that I don't get off of this path. I want you to hear this, and maybe even write it down, because this can help us to stay focused on the hopeful outcome as a follower of Jesus.
It is possible to do things for God and not do those things with God. I have to remember this all the time. If I'm only working hard in my faithfulness to God so that God will be pleased with me and to show the world how spiritual I am, that is a fruitless endeavor, and I will find myself depleted and burnt out.
The reason is because that cannot sustain my ability to do even good works. I don't want to do them for God. I don't want to do them to show God anything. I want to do those works with God. I want to live in the world in rhythm with Him, as a product and a result of a hidden connection with God in the world.
It's not to show anyone how spiritual I am. It's not to show anyone how much I can do for God. It's so that He will be pleased by my actions and I can sustainably serve Him on earth for His glory.
He Is Aware of Your Faithfulness
Today, "God is not unjust." Even if you feel hidden right now in your faithful work for God, in whatever way you find yourself doing it, I want to remind you He's aware of your faithfulness to Him.
Don't worry about people's perception of your spirituality, even if you're not being recognized in ways that maybe you think you should be. I want to encourage you that we work for the audience of One, and that audience of One is aware of our hidden life with Him.
