This verse reminds us of how important it is to remain firmly rooted in our faith.

It’s not enough to go to church every week, or to believe God’s Word on an intellectual level. If you want the confidence of heaven, you have to live life with the faithful expectation of the hope salvation brings.

Many Christians struggle with that.

They start out fine, but at the first sign of trouble or heartache, some accuse God of not loving them and not being who He claims to be, so they fall away. Others don’t leave altogether, but their relationship with God becomes more like a congenial acquaintance than one of Father and son or daughter.

We should never allow anything to drive a wedge between us and God. And one of the best ways to keep that from happening is to spend a few minutes each day remembering how you felt when you first accepted Jesus as your Savior.

What brought you to the cross? What caused you to make that lifetime promise of faithful obedience?

When you think about those things and the blessings you’ve received since then, you will be able to hold on to your confidence in Christ Jesus to the end.