A Failure to Focus

I am working through Hebrews and opened up today to chapter 3 where it begins “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, The Apostle and High Priest of our confession;” My goal today was to just read the chapter, but how can I go on read without pausing on this rich thought. There is so much here. So much to consider.

I love the richness of His Word. But too often I neglect it. I push it aside for other things, often this that seem to be good. But I miss out on HIS words. I miss His words pouring into my soul anew and experiencing the refreshment they have to offer.

How long, O Lord, will I neglect your word? How soon I forget the comfort, the peace and the joy Your words bring?!

It’s been 4 days since I last looked at Hebrews and the first thing I am struck by in this verse is “consider Jesus”. Consider Him, The Apostle and High Priest. Consider this Jesus who is God, the first born of all creation. The One who is fully of glory, who created all things. The One who sits at the right hand of God, who suffered death on a cross. (Heb 1 &2) Who “had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb 2:17)

Consider, fix your eyes on THIS Jesus. Oh how often I loose sight of who He IS. I loose sight of Him because my eyes have been fixed on the things of this world. Things that do not matter. Things that He already has control over. Things I am not to concern myself with for God is working them all out in His time and His way.

O Father….May I consider Jesus today. May I fix my eyes on Him. My I focus on YOU!

Oh Jesus help me to keep my eyes on You. Forgive me for neglecting You and Your word. Forgive me for those moments that my eyes become fixed on this world and all the worries and cares that it brings. I can not do this alone, my flesh constantly desires to turn its eyes from you, forgive me for thinking I can do it. Fill me with Your Spirit. Help me keep my eyes fixed on You and You alone. Thank you for Your grace and Your mercy. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins. Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me. Amen.

To Finish Well

In my last blog post I shared how King Asa was a king that sought the Lord. He removed idols from the kingdom and He restored the things in house of God.

I shared “…the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” (2 Chron 15:2) God was with the King. God gives Asa a reign of peace, without war. We are even told that King “…Asa's heart was blameless...” (2 Chron 15:7)

At this point you could say that King Asa was off to a good start. A life that pleases God. A life that seeks God in all he does. He was running his race and he was winning, so to speak. He was living a life of peace in the land. But if you read verse 19 of chapter 15 you see that things change in the 35th year of his reign.

Beginning in 2 Chron 16 we see that war breaks out. Now you would think that King Asa would remember that in the past God helped them defeat an army of a million men. (16:8-9) King Asa had prayed to God (16:11) for help and God answered. (16:12-15) But this time when war comes King Asa takes matters into his own hands. He doesn’t seek God’s counsel. He makes a treaty with the king of Aram.

Was he over confident in his own abilities? Had he became complacent during those 30 plus years of peace? Scripture doesn’t tell us why this change in Asa. All we know for sure is that when he was in trouble this time he relied on man (King Aram) for help. So we know something in the heart of Asa had changed. King Asa did not win this battle. God was displeased.

2 Chron 16:7 tells us “…Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.” Hanani goes on to remind Asa of the time he has sought the Lord in war and God has answered." and then says “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars” (16:9)

I don’t know about you but I like happy endings. Unfortunately King Asa didn’t finish well. He did not have a happy ending to his life. At this point King Asa could have fallen before the Lord in humility and confessed that he had sinned against God. But King Asa did not. Instead he became angry and put the seer in prison. Scripture says he was “Enraged”. He was so upset that not only did he take his anger out on the seer but he also oppressed some of the people. (16:10-11)

Because of King Asa’s actions God choose to give him a disease of his feet. 2 Chronicles says in 16:12 that the disease was severe but even in this King Asa did not seek the Lord. Instead he choose to put his trust in the physicians. Two years later King Asa would die. 

As I look at King Asa’s life I wonder about my own walk on this earth. Do I seek God’s council or man’s? Who do I most often put my trust in? My dear sisters I don’t know about you but I want to finish well. I want to come to the end of my life and know that I have finished my race. I want to know that I have ran it with endurance. (Heb 12:1) I do not want to be one that shrinks back but one that has faith to preserve. (Heb:35-39)

How can I persevere to the end? I am sure my list is NOT exhaustive but this is what came to my mind as I was reflecting on Asa’s poor finish.

God wants a heart that is completely His. 2Chron16:9 God doesn’t want bits and pieces of our lives that we are willing to give Him, He wants access to all of our life. God wants someone who seeks Him and Him alone. Our whole life belongs to Him.

Our confidence must be in God. Hebrews chapter 10:35 says Therefore don’t throw your confidence away. But then what should we place our confidence in? Hebrew 10:1-34 tells us to place our confidence in Jesus Christ whose sacrifice is sufficient for us all. Our confidence is in the power of a living God who was raised from the dead.

We need endurance. We must understand that times in this life will be hard. We WILL have struggles, trials and temptations. When we face circumstances that seem impossible we need to persevere through it in the strength of Christ. We can not run to man (or woman) but we must run to God. (Heb. 10)

Remember past victories.  Hebrews 11 gives us a long list of those who persevered in their faith. We see men and women who faced unbelievable circumstances and yet they kept there faith in the God who would deliver them. Then in Heb. 12:1a we are told “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us…” Remember the pass victories of others and in your own life. Believe that if God worked things out before He is working things out now.

Lay aside this life. Hebrews 12:1b says “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” I think it’s fairly self explanatory and yet not always so easily done. But we must pursue a life that lives separated from things in this world. WE must stay away from those things or people that easily distract us and ends up getting us entangled in to sin. We must lay aside our selfish desires and press on toward a life that finishes well.

Oh Father help me to run my race with endurance. Help me to lay aside those things that keep me from running a good race. Show me those places in my heart that I have held from you. Father I desire to to run a race that is pleasing to You. I want a heart that is wholly yours, a heart that seeks you and you alone. And yet I am so weak. I give in so easily to my flesh!

“O LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength ; so help me, O LORD my God, for I trust in You” 2 Chron 14:11

Destroying Idols

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 Jn 5:21 (NIV)

More than anything my heart desires greater intimacy with my Father in heaven. My heart cries out for it, longs for it.

My theme, my verse for last year was Hebrews 12:1-2 and can I just say honestly that I struggled mightily with what I needed to strip off or what sin was hindering my intimacy with God. I prayed, cried out to God to show me. I wanted to know. I longed to know. There was nothing. Silence.

I would do what Hebrews said and fix my eyes on Jesus, but it wasn’t working. It wasn’t enough. Can I be honest? Can I say what many often feel but are afraid to speak? He wasn’t enough. There it’s said, it’s in black and white and as I write it I know the truth behind it. It’s a lie. A sinful lie, an idol lie.

He is enough. That is truth. I know it. I do. At least in my head and most times in my heart. And this is the crux of the issue. This is the sin that hinders. It took all year to see it, but these last couple  of weeks have been huge in opening my eyes thanks to a friend who sent me the book Idol Lies: Facing the Truth about our Deepest Desires by Dee Brestin. I am only half way through but as I’ve been reading it God has been speaking to my heart. LOUDLY. The blinders are coming off and I am seeing the truth of my idols.

God spoke loudly when I read “Every believer needs to be set free, and it begins with getting past our denial, with seeing what we really idolize, and admitting this to God and to others. We may think, for example, that our deepest desire is for God, but in reality we are running to food, friendship, or Facebook to fill up our souls. We may think that our identity is in Christ, but in reality it may be in the success of our ministry, mothering, or marriage.”(1)

My idol will not be a surprise to those who know me well. In fact as I shared with my husband he smiled with a knowing smile and confirmed what I have been feeling. Too often I look to others and other things to fill that which only God can. Instead of running to God I run to others.

I long to be loved, accepted, wanted and no person can fill those needs. Only God can. But instead of running to God I turn to anything but Him.

“God knows that the stones in our hearts are painful. They destroy relationships and ministries and keep us from experiencing Him. When He sees the stones in our hearts, He is grieved. He wants to remove them so that life can flow.” (2)

This is where I am headed. I need to allow God to destroy the idols. To expose and remove them. Therefore I will be taking a break from all social media including my blog for the month of January. It could be longer I do not know. I do know I will wait upon the Lord to show me when to return. I am giving up all these things not so much because I believe ALL of social media is an idol in my life, but I don’t want anything to tempt me or keep me from hearing from God.

I do not want my heart to be divided. I want my heart to be pure before God. This leads me to my verses for 2013.

"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord ’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Psalms 24:1-6 NLT

Even as I write this my heart wonders what you will think. Will lose “followers”? Friends? Those that I have come to know and love? But God reminds me I only need to trust Him. Trust. Why does it always come back to that. To trust Him with all my life, my relationships.

I would appreciate and welcome your prayers. And those who are friends with me around the web feel free to keep me accountable if you “see” me before February. I will still answer email, so if you need to you can contact me there.

I am so thankful for each of you and wish you a Happy New Year. See you in February.

 

(1)Brestin, Dee (2012-09-11). Idol Lies: Facing the Truth About Our Deepest Desires (p. 6). Ingram Distribution. Kindle Edition

(2)Ibid., (p. 13)

Final Reflections…

As I look back on the year 2012 I am reminded of the blessings of family, friends and an amazing God who daily chooses to pour out His grace on me. So as the year comes to a close here are a few final thoughts.

The year began with a verse. Hebrews 12:1-2. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I have a great cloud of witnesses. This year God reminded me of my own “cloud of witnesses”. Those who He brought into my life in order to help me grow. I was blessed by two separate visits from couples of my youth who poured spiritual life into me. It was a reminder that God had always been with me, even in the darkest hours. I began “The Women I Come From” as a result of one of their visits.

We all have those in our past who God has given to be our mothers, sisters, brothers and fathers. They have been gifts along the way. Some where along the line I had forgotten. I had forgotten the gift of those who poured into my life, my heart and pointed me toward a deeper walk with Jesus.

I am thankful to God for each of them. I am thankful that God gave my this reminder.

Let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles. If we just lay aside that which keeps us from pursing God  and do not fix our eyes on Jesus then we will end up entangled right back up in the same sin and distractions.

This has been harder to see. Harder to learn. Even now as my heart longs to be free from the things that distract me and threaten my intimacy with the Father I realize that there is still much to detangle from. Just recently I became painfully aware of hidden sin in my heart.

Even as my Father exposes that which breaks His heart He offers grace as He takes my hand to walk me to freedom. This walk will take me into 2013, it’s a walk I embrace no matter how difficult it may become for I desire nothing more than to follow after my God.

This past week I already sense where we may be heading next year. God has not given me a verse yet but I am sure it will be perfect and in many ways it will be a continuation of learning to endure. To endure taking an honest look at my heart and allow God to show me that which distracts and keeps me from intimacy with Him. It’s kind of like what Jacob said in Genesis 35:2 “Destroy your idols, wash yourselves, and put on clean clothing.”

It is my prayer, that God would help me to destroy the hidden idols in my heart, wash me clean of them and then replace them fully with Him.

So I prayerfully and humbly begin to look forward as I wait on God to reveal His good pleasure in my life. But before I go I thought I would share my top 10 blog post of 2012 to remind us of where we’ve traveled this year.

 

10. What is it Like being Married to You?

9. Longing to Know Him

8. Naked Prayer

7. A Grumpy Wife

6. How Should I Treat my Husband?

5. What Makes a Marriage Last?

4. What If He Doesn’t Deserve My Respect?

3. Living Purposely with Hope

2. When I am Weak He is Strong

1. A Godly Wife

Thank you all for joining me in 2012. I look forward to walking along with you in 2013.

I Don’t Need to Hide From You

Today I heard a song that spoke into the places of my heart that have been crying out to God.

Those places where I KNOW the enemy has been whispering lies. Lies that cause doubt and tell me I am unworthy. Lies that say I am not enough, God can’t use me.

You know the lies my sweet sister’s don’t you? We all have them, we all hear them. Sometimes they come boldly and we fight them off with truth.

Other times, when our defenses are down they come creeping in and get ahold of us before we realize it.

This is where I have been.

I haven’t kept my defenses up. I have allowed the enemy to breach a part of my wall that I haven’t been diligent to keep strong.

Yesterday the word God had for me came from Heb 10:35-36 that reminded me that I NEED patient endurance. I need to remember that my confidence comes from the very One who created me to do His good will.

My confidence is in Christ who remains faithful. It is in Him I have hope. (Heb 10:23)

How did that affect my thinking? It was a wonderful reminder that I am to patiently endure that which He has called me to do. I am to walk in the hope of an eternal reward. I walk based on the truth I KNOW not what I feel and certainly not what the enemy would like me to believe.

Truth is – God created me for a purpose and He has given me everything I need to do that which He has called me to do.

Truth is – He knows me inside and outside. He knows my heart, my mind, my passions and desires and HE LOVES ME. And while there are times I do need to hide my heart from others, I never ever have to hide from Him.

 

Today these words from a song worked to reinforce that which God has been speaking…

You don’t have to prove yourself you are already mine. You don’t don’t have to hide your heart, I already love you and I hold it in mine. So You don’t have to work so hard ….just rest easy

Maybe you also find yourself working too hard to prove you are worthy of His love…I pray this song might speak to your heart also.

 

Entangled

…lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus… (Heb 12:1b,2a)

 

We are to fix our eyes on Jesus. Jesus the one who perfects us, the one who who has run the race before us, the one who runs along with us now.

It’s not an easy race to be run, but it can be done. We are to run the race by laying aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.

Have you ever sat and thought about those things that might hinder you from your race? The sins that you easily can get entangled in. We all have area’s of weakness. Those things that can cause us to take our eyes off Jesus. Those things, attitudes and thought patterns that begin to burden us, weakening our endurance.

When a runner run’s his race he is focused on the prize. He is single minded and doesn’t allow the things around him to distract him. The race of this life is that same. We must stay focused on Jesus and “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1)

Our focus must be on the eternal.

This week I want to set time aside and really focus on my race. What is it that hinders me? Have I allowed myself to become distracted? If so, what has been the distraction?

Is there sin I haven’t dealt with? Or attitudes I’ve let go unchecked?

What about my thinking? Are my thoughts pure or have I allowed things to enter my mind that are not Christ honoring?

If I am to run a race well, and finish well, then I must be willing to do the work of laying aside all that hinders my race. IF I do not then I will be distracted and become entangled in that which is around me fighting for my attention.

What about you? How is your race going? Do you feel overly tired, distracted or ready to quit? Then you might want to join me this week as I seek God  and ask Him to reveal those things that hinder my race.

Living Purposefully with Confidence

The Law, written on tablets of stone, was given to Moses and the people of Israel. A covenant was made. They promised to obey. It would be a promise they would not keep. They could not keep.

Breaking covenant meant death. The death of an animal sacrifice. Sin required a blood sacrifice. The priest would need to offer the blood sacrifice of perfect animals, daily for the sins of the people.

It was a shadow of things to come. There would be a better way. A better covenant. A perfect sacrifice that would be once and for all. It would cover all sin, for all time. To those who believe.

A better covenant. A law, not written on stone but written on our hearts. No longer would an earthly priest be needed. We will know God. We will be His people. Our sins remembered no more.

Our sins forgiven. Forgiven, not because of the blood of animals, but because of the One who came to offer His perfect sacrifice.The One, Jesus, the perfect sacrifice offered Himself freely.

Before, in the shadow of the things to come, man could not enter into the tabernacle. A veil separate man from entering. But Jesus provided a better covenant. His flesh, the veil, was torn so that we could freely “draw near” to God with “hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:22)

So the law written on stone could not be kept, but the law written on our hearts can be kept through Jesus. We can have confidence in the One who promised is faithful to keep His covenant. A covenant that frees us from our sins and will no longer be remembered.

Since we have this confidence in Jesus we can endure the struggles and trials of this earth know that we will receive what has been promised. That which is promised is eternal life with Jesus.

So let us not give up, but let us hold fast and preserve to the end.

(see Hebrews 8-9 and Exodus 24)

 

Other Blog Post for Living Purposefully!

1. Living Purposefully in the New Year
2. Living Purposefully with eyes on Jesus
3. Living Purposefully: Consider Jesus
4. Are You Mature?
5. Living Purposefully with Hope

Living Purposefully with Hope

Have you lost hope? Hope is to believe, desire or trust that things will get better. We hope that our current circumstances will get better. We hope that those around us will accept who we are. That they will love us.

I have learned through the years that sometimes hope disappoints. I remember a period of my life where it seemed that hope after hope there was great disappointment. My circumstances may have changed but at the core of the situation nothing changed. I clearly remember thinking to myself when I was about 15 “there is no hope of anything better than this.”

My hope was that life would get better. That people would change. The object of my hope required putting faith in people to do the right thing, to change. I did not understand then that to put my hope into anything other than Christ would be of great disappointment.

Our only hope is Christ. He is the only one who will not disappoint.

Why would I hope in Christ? While a whole book could be written on the reasons that our only hope is in Christ, I want to look specifically at Hebrews chapter 6–9.

I can hope in Christ because I know his promises are true. (Heb 6:9-16) His promises are unchangeable. (6:17) He can not lie. It’s not that He will not lie, but He CAN NOT. (6:18)

Hebrews 6:18 also says that “we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

What hope is set before us? What hope do we have “as an anchor of the soul”? “A hope both sure and steadfast?” (v19)

That hope is Christ Jesus himself. He is our High Priest. He is the ONE who died that we might have forgiveness of sin.

Because of Christ we no longer have to go to a priest to have our sins forgiven. Jesus is able to save forever those who draw near to God through His sacrifice. There is no need of daily sacrifices because Jesus paid the sacrifice once for all our sins when He offered up Himself. (Heb 7:25-28)

So how should we live? We live in the knowledge that we are perfect (positionally) before Christ. We have hope because our high priest sits at the right hand of God and ministers in the sanctuary of the true tabernacle. (8:1-2)

We live in hope because we know that Christ is in heaven making intercession for us. He is holy, innocent, undefiled, He is God. (7:25b-26)

When we hope in Christ we hope in one who will not disappoint. He will never fail us. He will never leave us.

The Christ who lives in us will not disappoint. The Christ in us is the HOPE of Glory. (Col 1:27)

Charles G. Finney once said, “Christ cannot be truly and savingly our hope, in any degree further than He is received into, and reigns, in our souls. To hope in merely an outward Christ is to hope in vain.”

Christ is our Hope. Our only rational expectation is from Him. Expectations placed anywhere else will fail. Christ in us is our Hope of glory. Without Christ in us, we have no good or well-grounded hope of glory.

Christ in the Gospel. Christ crucified. Christ risen. Christ in Heaven.

Christ is our only hope. That is a Christ which is actually present, living, and reigning in us as He reigns in heaven.

To live a life purposefully with hope means that I will take refuge in Christ knowing that He alone will not disappoint.

Would love for you to share how you are living with hope! Feel free to link back to me and leave a comment so I can visit!

Past Blog Post for Living Purposefully!

1. Living Purposefully in the New Year
2. Living Purposefully with eyes on Jesus
3. Living Purposefully: Consider Jesus
4. Are You Mature?

Are you Mature?

Therefore leaving the elementary teachings of the Christ, let us press on to maturity… Heb 6:1a NASB

Most adults consider themselves mature. They have grown beyond needing their mother’s milk to survive. They gone from crawling, to walking, to running. They have learned to read and write. They’ve passed from childhood into adulthood.

It would seem silly, and even somewhat disturbing for a grown adult to decide to go back to childhood. To beginning crawling, to want a bottle of milk or begin babbling like an infant. I Think we all would agree that apart from Alzheimer's or Dementia there would be great concern.

But that is what the writer of Hebrews is talking about in chapter 5:12-6:1 where he says

“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God ” NLT

In the NASB it says “let us press on to maturity” in 6:1. If we are mature in Christ we have moved beyond needing someone to continue to teach us the basics about God’s word and are now digging into the solid meat of God’s word.

Let me ask you a few questions.

“Have you moved from needing someone to teach you what the Word says to gleaning truth for yourself?”

“Are you satisfied to go to church, hear the word preached but not digging into the Word throughout the week?”

“Do you still try to find ways around doing what you know is the right thing to do? Trying to come up with ways that your sin doesn’t seem like sin? Or trying to excuse it away?”

And finally let us look at Phil 3:12-16 which says “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.” NLT (I highlighted the text)

Keep in mind as you read the above that the word perfection here also means maturity. So what are those who are mature to do? We are to press on, to focus, and to hold on. Press on to possess maturity. Focus on what is ahead, what you still can learn. Don’t stay in the milk of the word, for you will become weak and unable to mature.   

My dear sisters, let us pray for a desire to live purposefully by pressing on the know God in a deeper and more personal way than today. Let us not be content with milk but let us desire the meat of His word.

Thanks for joining me this week. To prepare for next week please read Chapters 6 –10 and take note of all we learn of Christ. I know it’s four chapters, but get through as much as you can and join me again next Wednesday.

If you write a post on this week's lesson please feel free to use the button below to link back.





<center><a href="http://www.quiet-reflections.com/p/living-purposefully.html"><img border="0" src=" http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/sbrobst/blog/livingpurposefully.jpg"/></a></center<br></div></body>

Blog Post for Living Purposefully!

1. Living Purposefully in the New Year
2. Living Purposefully with eyes on Jesus
3. Living Purposefully: Consider Jesus

Living Purposefully: Consider Jesus

So how did your reading and list making of Hebrews 3-5 go? I love reading God’s word and making list. Having a list of who the scriptures say Jesus is will be very helpful! I often pull out lists I have made to review when I forget!

Having a list can remind me of WHO I am according to God’s Word, WHAT He promises and WHO He is. These become critical to remember when my enemy attacks my mind with lies and I can’t seem to remember who or what!   

Today is one of those days for me. I am struggling with lies, so lets get into the truth of His word and learn some truth to fight with!!

Goodness so much truth, so much to see and learn AND LIVE in these three chapters! Did you see in 3:1 where is said “consider Jesus”? That means to fix your eyes on Jesus which is what we have been doing! Also in verse 1 did you notice what is says about us? We are “holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling,” isn’t that exciting?

So let us continue to “consider” or “fix our eyes” upon Jesus!

In chapter 3 we see that Jesus is the Apostle, and High Priest of our confession. He is faithful. (1-2) We see that he was faithful as a Son over His house. Did you notice who is apart of His house? WE are,that is, IF we hold fast our confidence and boast of our hope firm until the end!! He will be faithful to us if we are stay confident and firm in hope until the end! (5-6) also see verse 14


In Chapter 4 we learn that Jesus is a high priest who have passed through heaven and HE sympathizes with our weakness. He was tempted and yet did not sin. He is without sin. (14-15)

In Chapter 5 we see that Christ did not glorify Himself but it was God who made Him High Priest.(1-6) Jesus lived His days on earth in the flesh. He offered up prayers and supplications to the Father. He cried out in tears before His Father. He learned obedience from suffering and because He is perfect He is the source of salvation.(7-9)

I am sure you are thinking, “but Sharon there is so much more in these chapters!” and you are correct. It’s a great struggle for this student of the word to not want to dig into every “nook and cranny” of these chapters to glean truth. But for this time we just want to look at what we can learn about Jesus. He is the one that we are to fix our eyes on and how can we if we do not know Him.

Remember, for now, we are just gathering information. We are observing the context of Hebrews so that we can better understand how to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and run with endurance the race before us. (Heb 12:1-2) I pray that your appetite has increase for a deeper study of His word will cause you to come back at some point and study for yourself all that Hebrews has to teach us.

Before I close for today I want us to look at verses 11-14 of Chapter 5. I was struck what the author says here. They had become dull of hearing so they didn’t go on saying all that could be said about Jesus. The readers of Hebrews, were not new believers for the author says “by this time you ought to be teachers”. But because they had become dull of hearing they were in need of the “milk” of the word and not “solid food”.

So let me ask you, and myself, have we become dull of hearing? In order to live a life purposefully we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and keep them there. We need to be feeding upon solid food and not remain feeding upon milk and the elementary principles of God’s word.

Solid food is for the mature in Christ. How do we become mature? Verse 14 says that those who practice and have their senses trained to discern good and evil are mature.

So let us not be dull of hearing and feeding on milk. May we be purposefully in our study of the Word, putting it into practice and allowing it to train and teach us. 


If you are just joining me for Living Purposefully or you've missed a few post I encourage you to click on the below and see how you can catch up. You will also be about to get the link with button to place on your blog for direct access to this series. Thank you so much for joining me!

Living Purposefully with eyes on Jesus

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:1-2

 

As I sit and read the above verses I quickly realize that to “lay aside encumbrances”, “to be untangled from sin”, to “run with endurance” I must fix my eyes on Jesus. I must fix my eyes on the author and perfecter of my faith.

Who is Jesus? How well do you know Him? For the purposes of understanding these verses I want us to look at what the author of Hebrews has to say about Him. Let’s go to chapter 1 and 2!

These two chapters are filled with the truth of who we are to fix our eyes on. Did you get a chance to read it? Did you make a list? Did anything really jump out at you? Did you see anything new?

Here is what we see in these two chapters about Jesus.

Hebrews 1:2-5 Jesus is the appointed heir over all things. Through Him all things were created. He is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of God’s nature. HE upholds all things by His power. Through Him we are purified. He sits at the right hand of God.

1:6-12 Angels worship Him. His throne is forever. He loves righteousness, and hates lawlessness. All creation will wear out, be changed but HE will remain the same.

Hebrews 2:8-13 He was made a little lower than angels. He suffered death, our death. He is crowned with glory and honor. Through Him all things are brought to glory. Through His sufferings many sons will be brought to glory. HE will perfect our salvation through suffering. He sanctifies. He calls us brethren. He proclaims God’s name to us and puts His trust in God.

2:14-18 He became flesh and blood in order to render the devil powerless through His death. HE frees those who fear death and are in slavery. He helps descendants of Abraham. He was made like us in all things, yet remain God. He is a merciful and faithful high priest. He makes propitiations for our sin. He was tempted. HE suffered so that HE could come to our aid.

This is the ONE we are to fix our eyes on. This is the Jesus that the Hebrew author wants us to know. In fact in 2:1 he encourages us to “pay attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away from it”.

We are to know Jesus. We are to KNOW Him, not just know about Him. Do you know who He is? Do you know His character?

Do you know Him because you have experienced Him living in and through your life? Or do you know Him just because you have read or heard about Him?

My challenge to you and myself is to get to know Jesus. Know His character because you have fixed your eyes upon Him. Be single focused with eyes fixed on the One who perfects our salvation.

Lets fix our eyes on Jesus so that we might KNOW Him.

Over the next couple of “Living Purposefully” post I think we should look a little longer at who Jesus is. If you haven’t already begun making a list of who He is I would encourage you to write down what we already have seen and then be ready to add to it. I promise that it is worth taking the time to have a list that you can refer back to that will help remind you who Jesus is. You will know Him not just because of a list that has been written, but because you have studied and seen truth for yourself.

Read Chapters 3-5 and list all you learn about Jesus. Then join me again next week.