When do you think about God each day? Is it when you get out of bed? Do you think of Him before you lose your temper? Do you think of Him only when you need to repent? Is it when you need something?
Who is God to you? Provider? Rescuer? Or, more?
When I came to my desk this morning, my Bible was still open from my previous reading. The subtitle of Hebrews 12 jumped out at me. It reads “Example of Christ’s Endurance.” I read the passage, and then I read a commentary on it.
We really fight two battles. We fight the battle of the mind or our emotions. They can lead us onward in the wrong direction if we choose to follow. We fight the battle of our physical body. It too can hold us back when we are disabled or it can affect our emotions if we let it. Pain, for one, can be a great force.
Where you are today with either will determine what you take away from these verses.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Jesus battled both the emotional and the physical for us. We need to overcome “every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,” Jesus tolerated the “contradiction of sinners against himself.” Jesus is no stranger to the emotional battles. It’s easy for us to forget that. We tend to concentrate on the physical pain that He went through for us.
With Jesus as our example, “let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” We can live a Christ-like life in all circumstances. We can draw strength by looking to Him. The last verse ends, “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” We just need to keep looking to Jesus.
Jesus is the answer. If we follow His example, He spent time with the Father. He pointed to the Father. He talked about the Father. To lead a Christ-like life, we need to start our day with God and praising God regardless of our circumstances. We need to go to Him before we have a need. We need to set aside those sins and other things that weigh us down and keep us from a relationship with God.
LIFE APPLICATION
Today’s challenge is to be encouraged that God knows exactly what you are going through emotionally and physically. Make it your habit to start your day with God. Don’t wait until you need something to speak to Him each day. Shed every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset you by looking to Jesus.