Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil of Caesarea were celebrated leaders in the fourth-century church and also close friends. They first met as philosophy students, and Gregory later said that they became like “two bodies with a single spirit.”

With their career paths so similar, rivalry could’ve arisen between Gregory and Basil. But Gregory explained that they avoided this temptation by making a life of faith, hope, and good deeds their “single ambition,” then “spurring each other on” to make the other more successful in this goal than themselves individually. As a result, both grew in faith and rose to high levels of leadership without rivalry.

The book of Hebrews is written to help us stay strong in faith (Hebrews 2:1), encouraging us to focus on “the hope we profess” and to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (10:23-24). While this command is given in the context of a congregation (v. 25), by applying it to their friendship, Gregory and Basil showed how friends can encourage each other to grow and avoid any “bitter root,” such as rivalry that might grow between them (12:15).

What if we made faith, hope, and good deeds the ambition of our own friendships, then encouraged our friends to become more successful in this goal than ourselves individually? The Holy Spirit is ready to help us do both.

What qualities do you see in Gregory and Basil’s friendship? How could you encourage your friends to grow in faith, hope, and good deeds?

Dear Jesus, please make my friendships rich in faith, hope, and good deeds.

Nahum 1-3; Revelation 14

The words priest/high priest occur nearly forty times in the book of Hebrews. The priestly ministry of Jesus comes into view in the earliest verses of the book: “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3). Accolades for Jesus as high priest include words like “merciful and faithful” (2:17) and “great” (4:14; 10:21). The chorus of praise in 7:26 is of note: “Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” What are the implications for believers in Jesus that He occupies this role? The “therefore” and “let us” phrases help us. “Therefore, . . . since we have confidence . . . and since we have a great priest . . . let us draw near to God . . . let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess . . . let us consider how we may spur one another on” (10:19-24).

Arthur Jackson