The Contrast

So in today’s reading (Hebrews 6) two types of people who begin the journey with Jesus are repeatedly contrasted. There are some who go on to maturity, and others who don’t. Some who stay with God, while the others fall away. Some who produce “crops” for God, while others produce “thorns and thistles.”

So what’s the difference between those two different types of Christians? Why does the journey of the one go vastly better and lead to an awesome place, while the other, well, I’d be more comfortable not talking about.

We can throw out all kinds of opinions, but what we’re taught in this chapter is that the first group is diligent while the second group is lazy. Kind of surprising to me, but when I think about all the Christians I’ve known, and which are leading great journeys with Jesus and have gotten through the tough spots and are on their way to greatness, versus those who are experiencing kind of the opposite, I realize that is maybe the greatest difference between them.

So I think we need to evaluate ourselves. How about I’ll ask the question we need to be asking, and even provide the dictionary definitions to help: When it comes to the things of God and my spiritual life, am I diligent (“persevering determination” and “characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort”) or am I lazy (“unwilling to do work or make an effort” and “not rigorous or strict”)?

Your answer to that question is huge. It might just be everything.