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Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

The call is to keep going – to be ‘diligent’ in loving God and loving people. Furthermore, the author is ”convinced” they will show staying power.

The life of discipleship makes robust demands. It is not for the ”lazy”. It also calls for ”faith and patience.” Elsewhere in the New Testament, our life in Christ is described as a ”walk.” As someone pointed out, there is nothing spectacular about walking. It’s just putting one foot in front of the other and keeping going. This is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. We will need perseverance, endurance, patience.

‘Diligence, faith and patience are required to live the Christian life. Maturity is not automatic.’ (Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.817).

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 

Although these Hebrew Christians were under great pressure to go back (to Judaism and the synagogue), the author was actually ”convinced” that they would keep going forward. They were producing good ‘fruit’ – the appetising fruit of love towards God shown in their love to their fellow-believers. God knew all about this and would not forget it. We too can be encouraged today as we sip the refreshing water from this deep and pure well of Scripture.

When you boil it all down, at heart Christian discipleship is about a life of loving God and loving people. These two realities belong together (as Jesus taught in a beautiful and profoundly challenging passage: Matthew 25:34-40). It is not ‘rocket science’! Neither is it easy. But by God’s grace we produce this fruit and give evidence of our salvation.