by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
Have you ever known someone always trying to relive their “glory day?” Maybe they were a star athlete in high school, the number one salesperson at their company, or the “big man on campus” in college. You know the type: Someone always looking at the rearview mirror in life. Have you been one of those people?<\/p>\nChristians can make the mistake of thinking their best days are behind them. They look back to when church membership was booming, and their mission was being well-regarded and accepted in the community. Restorations and baptisms abounded. And then the bottom fell out. The work got harder, and fewer people wanted to listen to the message, and they began to be looked upon as fanatics and fundamentalists. And they think back to those “glory days” and pine for what once was.
\nThe Hebrew writer reminds his audience that looking back is not necessarily bad if it propels you to the future. The Hebrew recipients’ glory days were days of suffering and persecution. They banded together and joyfully counted their hardships as a reminder that they longed for something far better. They were a church on the move: Dynamic, undaunted by opposition, and active for the gospel. The lookback was intended to bolster their confidence and renew their resolve to carry on stronger than ever.\n
When you think back to the church’s “glory days,” what’s different?<\/p>\n
But maybe what’s changed is your attitude toward it. Once, you were enthusiastic and zealous about sharing the life-changing truth, but now you’ve shrunk back and become complacent, hoping someone else will do it.<\/p>\n
What was true for the Hebrew writer’s audience is true for us: We need confidence and endurance not only for ourselves but for the sake of many we could reach out to.<\/p>\n
Read Hebrews 10:32-39, then take a look back. Then, look ahead.<\/p>\n
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised<\/em>” (Hebrews 10:35-36).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Zeke Flores Have you ever known someone always trying to relive their “glory day?” Maybe they were a star athlete in high school, the number one salesperson at their company, or the “big man on campus” in college. You know the type: Someone always looking at the rearview mirror in life. Have you been…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[775,776,1754],"class_list":["post-81563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-elderly","tag-old-age","tag-past"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66014,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jesus-the-divine-temple\/","url_meta":{"origin":81563,"position":0},"title":"Jesus the Divine Temple","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer John's gospel begins by affirming that Jesus is the divine logos, the Word through whom all things were made. In Him is life and light. Life comes from Him, and He, the light of the world, came to this earth to overpower the darkness so that all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32190,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-flowers-sent-at-funerals\/","url_meta":{"origin":81563,"position":1},"title":"Why are flowers sent at funerals?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The Apostle Paul mentioned our bodies, like seeds, will die, and then the raised spirit sprouts like a flower from the dead seed. Which scripture is this? I thought that was a beautiful explanation. Is this why flowers are sent when death occurs? Answer: I believe you are thinking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39733,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-gain-the-various-crowns\/","url_meta":{"origin":81563,"position":2},"title":"How do I gain the various crowns?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it possible to still be good for God while in the military and get the eternal rewards of the crowns? I know what the crowns are: the crown of righteousness incorruptible crown crown of life crown of rejoicing crown of glory What does each one of those mean?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9202,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-people-physically-go-to-heaven-or-hell\/","url_meta":{"origin":81563,"position":3},"title":"Do people physically go to heaven or hell?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where is paradise? Is it above the earth or below? When Jesus was raised, how can he be lifted up in the flesh? By flesh, will a man go to heaven or hell? When Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus in what form did they appear, flesh or spirit?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20985,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-church-is-still-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":81563,"position":4},"title":"The Church Is Still the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer \u201cThus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory\u201d (Psalms 63:2). David wrote that while on the run in the wilderness. While the temple had not been built, David would have thought of the tabernacle and perhaps imagined what a future\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/shelter-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":65996,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/theres-a-rainbow\/","url_meta":{"origin":81563,"position":5},"title":"There’s a Rainbow","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton \"And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald\" (Revelation 4:3). He who sat on the throne \"was like\" jasper and a sardius stone in appearance. How\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81563\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}