Secure Salvation by Pete BriscoeSample

 An invitation to wait 

When we tell our kids to cut the laziness, we usually mean, “Get up and help out.” Sometimes we promise them ice cream at the end. Everyone knows the point isn’t the ice cream—it’s the work that earns the ice cream. And so we inadvertently teach our kids: Don’t be lazy and good things will come to you. This works well in a capitalistic society.

But laziness in God’s Kingdom is mind-bogglingly different. To be lazy is to be untrusting. To reject laziness is to be full of trust.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12)

Who? Who can we imitate in faith? We are pointed in the direction of Abraham. When Abraham was 75 years old, God promised him kids. And nine months later, Abraham and his wife had a son, right?

No. Not even close. It took 25 years for that promise to become reality. If you were Abraham, how would your faith have fared at years 2, 5, or even 20 as you blew out 95 candles on your birthday cake? We are told to imitate a man of endurance. But what sustained Abraham?

God invited Abraham to trust, and Abraham accepted the invitation. It’s that simple.

After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. (Hebrews 6:15)

The struggle that comes with our question—“How can we know if our salvation will be there for us at the end?”—is a struggle of waiting.

Many people received salvation as a kid, and Jesus’ promise to sustain them for the next 80 or so years—until death—is a long way off. Others received Jesus during the lowest moment of their lives, and His salvation carried them back to the land of the living. But now that we’re able, we wonder if there’s something more we should be doing to guarantee this life in Christ.

By all means, stop being lazy. But don’t mistake for a minute that the invitation to trust is an invitation to work.

Lord, when was the last time I waited for more than a month or two for something to be realized? I can’t even let a webpage load without hitting refresh! Show me how to stand still—with my full weight on Your promise of eternal life. Amen.