Thought for Thursday
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:12
Do you remember who your heroes were when you were a kid? For some of us boys, it was one of the famous cowboys, or maybe one of the cartoon super-heroes, or possibly the conductor on the train who waved to us as he oversaw the journey of his huge beast. For the girls, maybe it was one of the fairy tale princesses or even one of the true heroes of history such as Florence Nightingale. No matter, we all had heroes who we wanted to be like when we grew up. And where did the heroes go when we did grow up? Hopefully, the fanciful ones disappeared, and we discovered people around us who we adopted as role models in one way or another. If the role models are good, then our choice of heroes is wise. God would have us to select great spiritual role models, as our text declares.
Who are your spiritual role models? We should have them, says our text. Of course, our best role model is always the Lord Jesus, because the ultimate goal of a Christian’s life is to be like Him. But there are others, as the Scriptures tell us. We read that we are to remember them which have the rule over us, who have spoken unto us the Word of God, whose faith follow (Hebrews 13:7). That means that we should be followers of those who have the burden of responsibility for God’s Assembly, all the while praying that God would preserve them and make them worthy of being followed. If we follow godly men and woman who are following their Lord, we will be guided in a godly direction.
The earmarks of those who we are to follow are faith and patience. And we will be filled with both faith and patience if we follow them too. Hebrews 11 is filled with examples of those who achieved much for God by their faith. This chapter is a worthwhile read as we consider how we are to live for our Lord. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Patience is a companion of faith. Patience is far more than simply and quietly waiting for God to bless, and enduring all that comes along while we wait. It includes that, but it also includes the confidence to accept God’s purposes and timetable in all things. Think of the patience of Job, who was willing to put up with so much loss and suffering because it was the will of God.
Choose your spiritual heroes wisely, but choose them because you will be blessed by their great example. – Jim MacIntosh