Good Morning Friends,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out
for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such
opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In
your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding
your blood.” (Hebrews 12:1-4)
Do you really think that a life of faith is
so tough for you? Just consider what
Jesus went through!
First, He left the only home He had ever
known, and quite a home it was!!
Next, He found Himself confined to a human
body. Now that was a step down!
He was the Creator, but either He couldn’t or
He didn’t do a single supernatural work for the first 30 of His 33 years here.
He finally started gathering followers and they
were a pretty motley crew. And even those who followed Him didn’t seem to get
it a lot of the time.
The multitudes came around when He was doling
out miracles, but when it got tough, almost all of them deserted Him.
Out of His 12 closest companions, one
betrayed Him to the enemy and another denied ever knowing Him.
He was arrested on a trumped up charge, and
with false witnesses, He was convicted and sentenced to death.
They beat Him with a whip, a beating so
severe it killed some people who went through it.
They mocked Him and spit upon Him.
They shoved a crown of long, sharp thorns
onto His forehead.
They made Him carry His own heavy cross up
the hill to the place of execution.
They nailed Him there on the cross.
He hung in agony for hours.
Worst of all, the Father turned His back on
Him, forsaking Him because He was carrying our sin.
What you’ve gone through doesn’t sound so
tough compared to that! So keep your eyes on Him, and keep walking the path He
has shown you. If it was worth that much to Him, it’s worth what it costs you,
too!
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment