# Remain Faithful - HEBREWS 10:32-38 - 2024-08-26 Living in the world is hard. We have our ups and downs; our passionate moments and our struggles. What are we to do? Saint Paul, historically credited for writing the letter to the Hebrews, gives us some direction. He calls the reader to remember the good times during the hard times. Remember when we endured, remember when we had compassion, remember when we were on fire! *Brethren, recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. "For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry; but my righteous one shall live by faith. - HEBREWS 10:32-38* The hard times will come, there's no doubt about that. It's how we handle the hard times that shows our true color and allegiances. If we give up, lose faith, turn our back on God during the hard times, we are no better than the pagan who is only following his god when it provides good things. I'll tell you though, it's exceptionally difficult to remain faithful when life gets hard. When the kids start to struggle, when bills pile up, or the car breaks down at the worst possible moment, it's *hard* to trust God. It's precisely in these moments that are so difficult that we should be looking back on those moments that are easy to be faithful. Recalling the former days can give us a boost in the tough days. We see the same thing in our jobs, school, family, and life in general. When we struggle we remind ourselves of that vacation on the beach that we took which we want to take again. We know how to look back on the good days, so when we find ourselves struggling to be faithful, we should do the same. I challenge you now, when you find yourself questioning, wanting to take the easy path, or just generally "icky" think back to a moment when you knew that God was in control, that you could feel his ever presentness, and remember. We're in a long distance race, the end may not come for many, many years and so we need to find ways to keep ourselves pointed toward him and not give up.