Shrink Back = Destroyed

So I've been reading through the book of Hebrews. There's some pretty good stuff in there.

The last verse of Chapter 10 says "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." In context, the rest of the chapter talks about Christ's sacrifice forgiving all sins and the confidence we should have to approach God and trust Him with our lives. The writer goes on to remind the Hebrews of their earlier trials when they first came to Christ.

"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. "

Apparently, the Hebrews were getting weary of "standing their ground" and no longer enjoyed public exposure to "insults and persecution" and didn't really want to "stand beside" and submit themselves to the same treatment of those who were facing suffering. Apparently, at this point the Hebrews were forgetting about their "better and lasting possessions" and instead began to focus on the temporal things of this world.

So the writer encourages them to not "throw away their confidence" but to persevere. He reminds them "we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

What interests me is the comparison between "shrink back"/"believe" and "destoyed"/"saved." When the writer says "shrink back", what is he talking about? "Shrink back" from what? Persecution, Empathy, Standing our Ground in Christ, Keeping our faith strong, Persevering in hard times...Believing God's promises?

Secondly, how does shrinking back destroy us? Perhaps when we shrink back from the things of God, from forgiveness and the fruits of the Spirit we find ourselves focusing inward on ourselves, how we were wronged by those who insulted us, and the unfairness of it all. I think anytime we take our focus off of things above ("better and lasting possessions") we inevitably begin to walk the wide road of destruction. There are Christians who destroy their hearts and subsequently their lives by shrinking back and harboring the bitterness that accompanies suffering when not viewed through their confidence in Christ.

So I suppose if I were to offer a challenge it would be to not "shrink back" from Christ's love and the actions that accompany it, but to believe His promises and persevere.

I mean heck, if...
shrink back = destroyed
believe = saved
I'm rooting for believe.

So this was kind of long for a first post, but I'm just getting the hang of this. Maybe next time will be shorter.

Pressing On