11/25 Hebrews 13:7

⁷ Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

The leaders referred to are the apostles and elders. By the time the letter to the Hebrews was written, some of the leaders had been executed for not denying Jesus as Lord. They had taught the churches the Word of God and had gone on to their heavenly reward. Why would the author of Hebrews ask the readers to consider the outcome of their faith?

The apostles knew they had spent their lives investing in eternity. Death meant they would go into the presence of Jesus, whom they so longed to be with again. Death meant they would receive their reward for a life of service. They graduated from this life that was plagued with the suffering common to all in a fallen world. They left this world victorious over it. That was what the author was asking the church to consider.

This exhortation is encouraging us to imitate the faith of those apostles and of the men and women of God who share the Word with us. If we do, we will be living for the unseen with confidence in the reality of our faith. We will be confident that the love and grace of God are the greatest treasures we can possess both now and forever. With that truth in our mind and heart, we live by priorities that the world cannot understand. We become the servants of all. We know the peace of God and look forward to our own graduation (Philippians 1:23).

Consider: Reflect on the outcome of the lives of men and women of God. Then ask yourself: Am I living for the unseen reality?