Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 5,283
Hebrews 10:32-34 BSB
“32Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were partners with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.”
Now, not everyone reading this is going to identify with this, but I do. And even if you don’t identify with this now, one day you might, so please do not dismiss this assuming this does not apply to you. And it may indeed apply to you, but right now you just don’t see it. And it may apply to you but you just don’t realize it because your story and their story is not exactly the same. But whatever your situation, please read this passage carefully, and please pray and ask the Lord if in any way there is a lesson in this for your life.
The Early Days
So, what are the “early days” being spoken of here? As applying this to all of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, they were the days early on in our faith. For me, that began at age 7. For you it may be different. But whenever it was, it was in the first several years of our salvation from sin and our faith in the Lord Jesus. And we are not all the same, right? I was a child at that time, not a perfect child, but also not a rebellious child. I was a rule follower for the most part. And I took God and his word to heart, to believe them.
Do you remember when you first believed in Jesus? Do you recall what change that made in your life? Did you take God and his word seriously to obey it? Did you testify to others of your salvation and your walk of faith? Were you on fire for the Lord, passionate about getting out the gospel, praying for the salvation of your loved ones? Were you involved in Christian ministry? And did people mock you because of your faith? Did they oppose you? Did they physically or verbally attack you? I can identify with that.
But, then what happened? Did you keep growing in your walks of faith, in obedience to the Lord, even more passionate about the Lord and your salvation and the gospel of Christ than you ever were before? Did you follow his leading in your life? Did you get even more involved in Christian ministry and in sharing the gospel and in being and in doing who and what God called you to be and to do? Was Jesus still the one guiding your life? But, over time did the world begin to slowly creep into your life? I can identify with that.
The Later Days
I stayed there for a little while, becoming more worldly, giving more of myself to the pleasures of the flesh, and not to God. God was still working on me, and I had my ups and downs, my ins and outs. The devil kept fighting against me to stay on his side, but the Lord was still pursuing me, helping me to come back to where I once was. And, eventually, by the grace of God, I was able to shut that door to the world and to embrace the Lord and his calling on my life, and that is where I have remained since then.
So, where are you presently? Have you drifted away from the Lord? Are you more worldly minded than Godly minded? Is the flesh gaining more ground with you than the Lord is? Is Jesus shoved in the corner somewhere and you only bring him out once a week or for a few minutes each day but then you shove him back in the closet while you go about life as you want to live it? Is your “Christian” life separate from your worldly life which you are living in, so that you are trying to balance two different worlds at the same time?
If that is the case, please pay close attention to these next words:
Hebrews 10:35-39 BSB
“35So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward. 36You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. 37For,
“In just a little while,
He who is coming will come and will not delay.
38But My righteous one will live by faith;
and if he shrinks back,
I will take no pleasure in him.”
39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Your confidence has to do with your faith in Jesus Christ and how it is being lived out in your daily life, in practice. So, to throw away your confidence is to return to living in sin and/or for self, in worldly living, and not in godly living. It is to shrink back from being a witness for Jesus Christ to now live to please your flesh. Jesus is in the closet while you live for the pleasures of the world and you only bring him out on Sundays for a few hours or when you have your time of daily devotions, but otherwise you live life your way.
But Jesus is to be our life! And our lives are to be lived for him, for his purposes, 24/7, i.e. all the time, not just when it is convenient for us. And that doesn’t mean you live in a cave and you shut yourself off from the world entirely. For we are to live in the world, just not of it. We are to live to please God and not the sinful pleasures of the flesh. And Jesus has to take top priority in our lives, to be and to do what and who he has called us to be and to do for his purposes, and for his glory, and for the salvation of lives.
So, please know that the Scriptures do not teach “once saved always saved.” They do not teach that once we are “saved” that we can now live however we want without guilt and without judgment. They teach that if sin is what we practice (our habit, addiction), and not obedience to our Lord and to his commands, that no matter what faith we profess with our lips, we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not have eternal life with God. We will be cut off from God and we will spend eternity in hell, not in heaven.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
I Sing of His Mercy
Based off Psalm 32
An Original Work / April 10, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven
By the blood of Jesus Christ.
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does
Not count against them; freedom found.
When, in silence, I did not confess
My sin to You; had no strength.
Then I owned up to my sin and
You forgave and cleansed me within.
Therefore let the godly pray to You;
Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.
They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,
But in Christ peace abounds.
Lord, You are my hiding place.
I find my refuge in You secure.
You protect me from all evil.
You give songs of vict’ry in You.
Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;
Counsel me in love, I know.
Help me to not be stubborn and
Unwilling to follow in Your truth.
Thank You for Your love and mercy.
I put my trust in You always.
I rejoice in my Lord and
I sing of Him throughout all my days.
Throwing Away Your Confidence
An Original Work / July 8, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“32Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were partners with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.”
Now, not everyone reading this is going to identify with this, but I do. And even if you don’t identify with this now, one day you might, so please do not dismiss this assuming this does not apply to you. And it may indeed apply to you, but right now you just don’t see it. And it may apply to you but you just don’t realize it because your story and their story is not exactly the same. But whatever your situation, please read this passage carefully, and please pray and ask the Lord if in any way there is a lesson in this for your life.
The Early Days
So, what are the “early days” being spoken of here? As applying this to all of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, they were the days early on in our faith. For me, that began at age 7. For you it may be different. But whenever it was, it was in the first several years of our salvation from sin and our faith in the Lord Jesus. And we are not all the same, right? I was a child at that time, not a perfect child, but also not a rebellious child. I was a rule follower for the most part. And I took God and his word to heart, to believe them.
Do you remember when you first believed in Jesus? Do you recall what change that made in your life? Did you take God and his word seriously to obey it? Did you testify to others of your salvation and your walk of faith? Were you on fire for the Lord, passionate about getting out the gospel, praying for the salvation of your loved ones? Were you involved in Christian ministry? And did people mock you because of your faith? Did they oppose you? Did they physically or verbally attack you? I can identify with that.
But, then what happened? Did you keep growing in your walks of faith, in obedience to the Lord, even more passionate about the Lord and your salvation and the gospel of Christ than you ever were before? Did you follow his leading in your life? Did you get even more involved in Christian ministry and in sharing the gospel and in being and in doing who and what God called you to be and to do? Was Jesus still the one guiding your life? But, over time did the world begin to slowly creep into your life? I can identify with that.
The Later Days
I stayed there for a little while, becoming more worldly, giving more of myself to the pleasures of the flesh, and not to God. God was still working on me, and I had my ups and downs, my ins and outs. The devil kept fighting against me to stay on his side, but the Lord was still pursuing me, helping me to come back to where I once was. And, eventually, by the grace of God, I was able to shut that door to the world and to embrace the Lord and his calling on my life, and that is where I have remained since then.
So, where are you presently? Have you drifted away from the Lord? Are you more worldly minded than Godly minded? Is the flesh gaining more ground with you than the Lord is? Is Jesus shoved in the corner somewhere and you only bring him out once a week or for a few minutes each day but then you shove him back in the closet while you go about life as you want to live it? Is your “Christian” life separate from your worldly life which you are living in, so that you are trying to balance two different worlds at the same time?
If that is the case, please pay close attention to these next words:
Hebrews 10:35-39 BSB
“35So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward. 36You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. 37For,
“In just a little while,
He who is coming will come and will not delay.
38But My righteous one will live by faith;
and if he shrinks back,
I will take no pleasure in him.”
39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Your confidence has to do with your faith in Jesus Christ and how it is being lived out in your daily life, in practice. So, to throw away your confidence is to return to living in sin and/or for self, in worldly living, and not in godly living. It is to shrink back from being a witness for Jesus Christ to now live to please your flesh. Jesus is in the closet while you live for the pleasures of the world and you only bring him out on Sundays for a few hours or when you have your time of daily devotions, but otherwise you live life your way.
But Jesus is to be our life! And our lives are to be lived for him, for his purposes, 24/7, i.e. all the time, not just when it is convenient for us. And that doesn’t mean you live in a cave and you shut yourself off from the world entirely. For we are to live in the world, just not of it. We are to live to please God and not the sinful pleasures of the flesh. And Jesus has to take top priority in our lives, to be and to do what and who he has called us to be and to do for his purposes, and for his glory, and for the salvation of lives.
So, please know that the Scriptures do not teach “once saved always saved.” They do not teach that once we are “saved” that we can now live however we want without guilt and without judgment. They teach that if sin is what we practice (our habit, addiction), and not obedience to our Lord and to his commands, that no matter what faith we profess with our lips, we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not have eternal life with God. We will be cut off from God and we will spend eternity in hell, not in heaven.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
I Sing of His Mercy
Based off Psalm 32
An Original Work / April 10, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven
By the blood of Jesus Christ.
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does
Not count against them; freedom found.
When, in silence, I did not confess
My sin to You; had no strength.
Then I owned up to my sin and
You forgave and cleansed me within.
Therefore let the godly pray to You;
Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.
They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,
But in Christ peace abounds.
Lord, You are my hiding place.
I find my refuge in You secure.
You protect me from all evil.
You give songs of vict’ry in You.
Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;
Counsel me in love, I know.
Help me to not be stubborn and
Unwilling to follow in Your truth.
Thank You for Your love and mercy.
I put my trust in You always.
I rejoice in my Lord and
I sing of Him throughout all my days.
Throwing Away Your Confidence
An Original Work / July 8, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
