Strength for the Long Road of Faith
Getting older is both a blessing and a lot of hard work. Retail, social media, the government, and probably a host of others, know more about us than we think they know. And you have probably figured out that search engines are constantly updating information on all of us.
If you are single, then you probably get ads for dating apps. If you have children, you get ads for products related to your kids. And somewhere in our 40s, 50s, and beyond, we all get tons of information about our health, which include diet, exercise, weight management, sleep, joint pain, and on and on. The ads do not slow down as we age; they just increasingly shift to our health, and if we have enough money, till make it to the end of this temporary home where we currently reside.
While we all rejoice that our salvation and eternal destiny is a work of grace and cannot be earned, we sometimes think that the process of spiritual formation and sanctification doesn’t require any effort. There are many passages we could explore on that topic, but I will focus on just a few thoughts from Hebrews 12.
The author of Hebrews gives us an image of what might be similar to the Olympic stadium. Our fans, the great cloud of witnesses, are watching as we step onto the track where we lay down anything that would slow or hinder our race, the heaviest being “sin which clings so closely.”
The author then instructs us to consider Jesus, who he described as both the founder and the perfecter of our faith. As you read the first few verses of chapter 12, you quickly realize that even the Son of God had to exert effort as he ran his race:
“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
A couple verses later we see that similar to Paul’s instructions in Philippians 2 when he instructs us to “work out our salvation,” the author of Hebrews reminds us that the Lord disciplines the ones he loves and chastises every son he receives. In other words, all of us endure correction and will therefore exert effort as we strive toward the finish line of our faith and cross over into the grandstands where we cheer future generations of faith.
Every hard thing we face is an opportunity to strengthen our faith as we discover that the Holy Spirit will guide us, will advocate for us, and will help us to realize that our suffering connects us more deeply with Jesus who endured everything for us.
Father, thank you for the cloud of witnesses who cheer us on today as we strive to know you better and to love and serve others the way Christ served and loved us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Hebrews 12:1-6, 28-29 ESV
Photo by Pexels
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
