“But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:9–10, KJV 1900)
One of the greatest deficiencies of managers is that they rarely give positive reinforcement. There are very few pats on the back and many kicks in the backside. I have worked in such negative regimes and it always resulted in in morale problems. Morale problems then led to mediocre performance and productivity decline.
In verses 9 and 10, the author addresses those in the Jewish community that are true believers. He addresses them as agapatoi, beloved, a term used in the New Testament to refer to true believers. He is addressing Jews who have a genuine saving faith in Jesus.
To these true brothers in Christ, he gives words of assurance and encouragement. He begins by saying that he is confident of the things in them that belong to salvation. He is confident that they will be steadfast in the faith. The basis of this confidence is that God has begun a great work in them and that He will complete what He has begun. The evidence of their genuine faith is seen in their love for God and their steadfast service for His glory.
The author assures them that their love for God and their works do not go unnoticed by God. They have demonstrated this love for God through their service to the saints, the believers in Christ. We need to understand, since the body of Christ is the church and that believers are the church, when we minister to believers, we minister to Jesus. The church is the body of Christ. To serve the church is to serve Jesus.
Moreover, when we serve in this manner, we glorify God. The genuine believers who are steadfast in their service glorify God. These Jewish believers were glorifying God in their service and it would not be forgotten.
For every believer, there is a time of judgment at the judgment seat of Christ. It is then when the believer will be rewarded for his works that have brought glory to God (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Cor 5:10). Our faithful service in this life has much to do with our eternal reward and our future reign with Christ (Rev 20:6). Be assured, your works for God’s glory do not go unnoticed.
Renewing the Heart 