Don't forget all the hard times you went through when you first received the light. Sometimes you were abused and mistreated in public, and at other times you shared in the sufferings of others. You were kind to people in jail. And you gladly let your possessions be taken away, because you knew you had something better, something that would last forever.
Keep on being brave! It will bring you great rewards. Learn to be patient, so that you will please God and be given what he has promised. As the Scriptures say,
"God is coming soon! It won't be very long. The people God accepts will live because of their faith. But he isn't pleased with anyone who turns back." We are not like those people who turn back and get destroyed. We will keep on having faith until we are saved.
The Great Faith of God's People
Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God.
Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God's command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.
Because Abel had faith, he offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God was pleased with him and his gift, and even though Abel is now dead, his faith still speaks for him.
Enoch had faith and did not die. He pleased God, and God took him up to heaven. That's why his body was never found. But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.