Heb 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
A person who invests for long years has long-term goals, and is considered a long term investor. How often do we think of our walk in Christ, even prayers, with a long term investors’ mindset? We often testify of the saints of the past. They laid a foundation, for our benefit, with long term investment in mind. We now ought also lay a foundation for the next generation.
God spoke to Joshua (Jos 4) and told him to take 12 men from each tribe and command each to take a stone. They were to carry these stones across the river Jordan, “6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, …7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, … And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”, Jos 4:6-7. God purposed to preserve the testimony of His mighty works. He did this to strengthen the next generation’s trust in Him.
The plain proof of faith and love is sometimes stimulated by the testimony of the believers from the past. They were able to persevere with a view to the full assurance of HOPE unto the end. This is the same diligence that we are tasked with, that we through patience may learn from them and carry the stones of our faith as a memorial for the next generation. One way to walk into the future is to walk into it backwards with the eyes on the memorials of the past.