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.
(Heb. 12:1-3, NIV)
Greg: I hate long-distance running. Actually I just hate running. One of my least favorite running exercises was running while pulling sleds in high school athletics. We had 60-pound, 80-pound, and 120-pound sleds, which we attached to ourselves with a harness and ran 30 yards, turned around, and ran 30 yards back. Apart from the normal sleds, there was also a log, weighing in excess of 150 pounds, which one might pull. Unfortunately youthful pride and excessive vigor often lead to foolish choices (can I hear an amen from the house parents!), and someone always ends up trying to pull the log. Sometimes it can create quite a stir, so that all the other guys are watching and cheering on the guy pulling the log.
Often, after pulling the sleds, we would run some wind sprints without the sleds. The difference was dramatic! I felt so light and fast. Unstrapping the harness made all the difference in the world.
The author of Hebrews paints us a similar picture. Surrounding by a packed stadium of witnesses, we are to cast off our harnesses and run with perseverance. How do we do that, though? How do we throw off the sin that entangles us? We fix our eyes on Jesus. Throughout the week we have been talking about what we can see and what we cannot see. Here we are told what to focus our vision on.
Tiffany: I think we have a similar situation here. In our community there are so many brothers and sisters around us, supporting us like a stadium-full of fans. Along with that support, though, comes the weight that we are called to lay off. The enemy works against us, increasing fear and doubt even as we struggle to run the race set before us.
Sometimes we feel like our feet are stuck in the mud, and that is why these passages about endurance speak to us. They tell us how to go on when we can't go on. When Jesus was on the cross he called out to his Father, and we must do the same when we are at the end of our ropes. Though it is hardest to depend on God when we have heavy burdens, it is really when we have those burdens that we most need to depend on God.
Greg: Definitely. The reason we can throw off our burden and run is that we see Jesus, the founder and forerunner of our faith, who hung on as he was nailed to the cross. Like the heroes of the faith, Jesus looked ahead (and above), fixing his eyes on the joy set before him. Things didn't really turn out that great for Jesus, but he put up with the shame of the cross because he was a pilgrim and an exile here.
The founder of faith, Jesus, held on and endured, even when death stared him right in the eye. That endurance, as we have seen before in Hebrews, led him to the right hand of God. The author urges us to consider this Christ, who endured death and opposition. Christ is our example in endurance, the goal on which we must fix our eyes. As we sojourn here, we know that we are headed for the heavenly city when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Tiffany: I agree that we have to focus on Jesus. So much of our thought about endurance has to do with pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. When we try to endure on our own power, though, we aren't running a race. We're just running on a treadmill. We may be getting faster, but we're not going anywhere. At the heart of the matter is this - enduring tough times makes us better, not because we make ourselves stronger but because we learn to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
A toddler doesn't stroll around leisurely, taking in the scenery. A toddler looks straight ahead, focusing completely and totally on where he or she has to step in order to walk. This is the kind of endurance we need. Toddlers are not cross-country champions, but they do know how to channel all their energy in one direction. The point of endurance is not necessarily simply to bear up and take it. Endurance is about locking on to Christ, our forerunner.
Greg: The author presents Jesus as an example, primarily so that the audience will not give up. The readers are very close to "grow(ing) weary and los(ing) heart," but the word of exhortation urges them to hang on and bend their vision toward Jesus, who also hung on when he was tired and burned out.
Grace and peace,
Greg and Tiffany
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
In the distance ...
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
(Heb. 11:13-16, NIV)
This is part of the popular "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11. Right in the middle of his discussion of Abraham and Sarah, though, the author goes on an excursus about the result of faith. The reason these people are presented as examples of the faith because they held fast to the faith until they died, even though they didn't see the desired results. From their perspective, God was not faithful, because they were faithful to the end but God did not fulfill the promises.
They did see the promises and welcome them from a distance, though. Despite the fact that these faithful women and men did not yet see the reward for their faith, they knew that God would fulfill his promises if only they held on. Whether they saw the outcome of their faithfulness or not, these people kept on "living by faith" until they died, spotting the promises on the far horizon.
Why did those people hold on? If we are supposed to hold on even in the face of exhaustion, pain, and burnout, it might be helpful to know why other people in similar situations have held on. These exemplars held firm because they knew that they were "aliens and strangers in this world." If this world doesn't turn out how you want it to all the time, don't give up - this world (as it is now) isn't built for us anyway. Even if we don't see the promises, we must hold fast - we are aliens and exiles in this world.
People who see things this way show that they are looking for a home to hold on to.
People who hold firm to the faith in spite of the way things look because they understand that this world is passing away show that they have a firm ledge to grab hold of. Even though we feel like we are hanging on by the skin of our teeth, we are hanging onto a firm and secure ledge.
You can let go if you want to, says the author, but if you hold on you will be rewarded in the end. The ledge we hold onto is the doorsill of the heavenly city God has prepared for us. Let us endure, even when do not see the promises fulfilled.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
(Heb. 11:13-16, NIV)
This is part of the popular "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11. Right in the middle of his discussion of Abraham and Sarah, though, the author goes on an excursus about the result of faith. The reason these people are presented as examples of the faith because they held fast to the faith until they died, even though they didn't see the desired results. From their perspective, God was not faithful, because they were faithful to the end but God did not fulfill the promises.
They did see the promises and welcome them from a distance, though. Despite the fact that these faithful women and men did not yet see the reward for their faith, they knew that God would fulfill his promises if only they held on. Whether they saw the outcome of their faithfulness or not, these people kept on "living by faith" until they died, spotting the promises on the far horizon.
Why did those people hold on? If we are supposed to hold on even in the face of exhaustion, pain, and burnout, it might be helpful to know why other people in similar situations have held on. These exemplars held firm because they knew that they were "aliens and strangers in this world." If this world doesn't turn out how you want it to all the time, don't give up - this world (as it is now) isn't built for us anyway. Even if we don't see the promises, we must hold fast - we are aliens and exiles in this world.
People who see things this way show that they are looking for a home to hold on to.
People who hold firm to the faith in spite of the way things look because they understand that this world is passing away show that they have a firm ledge to grab hold of. Even though we feel like we are hanging on by the skin of our teeth, we are hanging onto a firm and secure ledge.
You can let go if you want to, says the author, but if you hold on you will be rewarded in the end. The ledge we hold onto is the doorsill of the heavenly city God has prepared for us. Let us endure, even when do not see the promises fulfilled.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
You stood side by side ...
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
In the face of persecution, the author of Hebrews calls the readers back to the beginning of the struggle. I think the author knows that sometimes we get so far down the path that we lose sight of the beginning; we forget how we got on the path to begin with. The writer reminds us of the "good old days," when nothing could stop us or slow us down.
Still the focus of the recipients’ activity is steadfastness. They did not defeat the enemies in a great contest, they "stood (their) ground in a great contest." The community held firm in the past, but now they are slipping. In calling these people to hold on, the writer reminds them of when they did hold firm.
You stood side by side with those who were so treated. The readers of Hebrews know a little bit about what the readers of this devotional go through. Sharing our boys' pain can be emotionally and spiritually draining, as the text indicates here. Back when the readers were full of fire they stood beside those who were suffering, but now that their zeal has cooled they are just hanging on.
The author is also sure to point out why they stood firm - they stood firm because they knew they had something worth holding onto. Although they were glad to let their material possessions go, the community made sure to hold firm their faith because they knew that they had something worthwhile at the end of all their labor.
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,
"He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him."
Here is the refrain of all our meditation so far - hold on! Don't throw away your confidence, don't let go. Throwing away is really the opposite of holding on - we are to clutch our confidence tightly rather than carelessly tossing it out the window. When we persevere, we know that we will receive the promise. The coming one will get here in a hurry, and he will know who has held on and who has let go, the author tells his audience.
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
(Heb. 10:32-39, NIV)
Here is our call to endurance. We are not one of those who let go, but instead we are among those who hold firm to the faith. By remembering the former days, we know that we have come to share in Christ, and so we can hold on.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
In the face of persecution, the author of Hebrews calls the readers back to the beginning of the struggle. I think the author knows that sometimes we get so far down the path that we lose sight of the beginning; we forget how we got on the path to begin with. The writer reminds us of the "good old days," when nothing could stop us or slow us down.
Still the focus of the recipients’ activity is steadfastness. They did not defeat the enemies in a great contest, they "stood (their) ground in a great contest." The community held firm in the past, but now they are slipping. In calling these people to hold on, the writer reminds them of when they did hold firm.
You stood side by side with those who were so treated. The readers of Hebrews know a little bit about what the readers of this devotional go through. Sharing our boys' pain can be emotionally and spiritually draining, as the text indicates here. Back when the readers were full of fire they stood beside those who were suffering, but now that their zeal has cooled they are just hanging on.
The author is also sure to point out why they stood firm - they stood firm because they knew they had something worth holding onto. Although they were glad to let their material possessions go, the community made sure to hold firm their faith because they knew that they had something worthwhile at the end of all their labor.
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,
"He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him."
Here is the refrain of all our meditation so far - hold on! Don't throw away your confidence, don't let go. Throwing away is really the opposite of holding on - we are to clutch our confidence tightly rather than carelessly tossing it out the window. When we persevere, we know that we will receive the promise. The coming one will get here in a hurry, and he will know who has held on and who has let go, the author tells his audience.
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
(Heb. 10:32-39, NIV)
Here is our call to endurance. We are not one of those who let go, but instead we are among those who hold firm to the faith. By remembering the former days, we know that we have come to share in Christ, and so we can hold on.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
Each other's burdens ...
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."
(Heb 3:12-15, NIV)
In the middle of a comparison of the receiving community with the community of Israel and its sin in the desert, the writer of Hebrews drives the point home to his weary readers: "Hold on," he says, "the desert is for testing." He exhorts the weary community to encourage one another, indicating that endurance and resistance to sin are community matters.
Our cultural context makes it so easy to get caught up in our own concerns, struggling along our own path with no thought of another. Small wonder we feel so completely lost and overwhelmed at times, when we have made no effort to bolster each other. In fact, the book of Hebrews itself (called a "word of exhortation") and this very devotional practice are representatives of something more. They exhibit the encouragement of others to hold fast in the face of exhaustion, disappointment, disillusionment, and sorrow.
Speaking of sharing each other’s burdens, the text says that we have come to share in Christ if we hold on. One of the most gigantic questions in human existence is "why?" When we are totally spent, or even just a little worn out, the question "Why keep going?" comes to our minds. Little do we realize what holding on means. We often become so consumed by the struggle of our lives and work that we think even if we hold on we will still just be hanging by our fingernails, straining through a meaningless fight.
The author of Hebrews, though, tells us that hanging on means sharing in Christ. We have already seen how Jesus has shared our reproach. By hanging on, we come to share in him. Maybe it will be just a little bit easier to hold on and keep on going today knowing what that effort means. You are not just scraping by, you are sharing in Christ through your blood and sweat and tears.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."
(Heb 3:12-15, NIV)
In the middle of a comparison of the receiving community with the community of Israel and its sin in the desert, the writer of Hebrews drives the point home to his weary readers: "Hold on," he says, "the desert is for testing." He exhorts the weary community to encourage one another, indicating that endurance and resistance to sin are community matters.
Our cultural context makes it so easy to get caught up in our own concerns, struggling along our own path with no thought of another. Small wonder we feel so completely lost and overwhelmed at times, when we have made no effort to bolster each other. In fact, the book of Hebrews itself (called a "word of exhortation") and this very devotional practice are representatives of something more. They exhibit the encouragement of others to hold fast in the face of exhaustion, disappointment, disillusionment, and sorrow.
Speaking of sharing each other’s burdens, the text says that we have come to share in Christ if we hold on. One of the most gigantic questions in human existence is "why?" When we are totally spent, or even just a little worn out, the question "Why keep going?" comes to our minds. Little do we realize what holding on means. We often become so consumed by the struggle of our lives and work that we think even if we hold on we will still just be hanging by our fingernails, straining through a meaningless fight.
The author of Hebrews, though, tells us that hanging on means sharing in Christ. We have already seen how Jesus has shared our reproach. By hanging on, we come to share in him. Maybe it will be just a little bit easier to hold on and keep on going today knowing what that effort means. You are not just scraping by, you are sharing in Christ through your blood and sweat and tears.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
Monday, June 1, 2009
We have hope yet ...
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
(Heb. 4:14-16, NIV)
Our lives and our work here with the boys are filled with reasons to give up, reasons to let go. Physical fatigue, mental exhaustion, spiritual emptiness, and many more distractions crowd into our hearts, especially during times like the beginning of the summer. The recipients of Hebrews have plenty of temptation to give up as well. They have faced persecution, losing home, family, and monetary and stability because of their commitment to Christ.
Perhaps the most draining aspect of our work and Christian life in general is failure. The demoralizing nature of our mistakes (real or perceived) works against our intent to endure. In fact, we sometimes beat ourselves up so ferociously for our mistakes that we incapacitate ourselves, siphoning the very energy which we would be using to help the boys and, instead of dedicating it to them, punishing ourselves for our mistakes. When our sense of failure mounts like this, it is all the more tempting to give up.
But what the author of Hebrews goes to great lengths to demonstrate is that Jesus has proved himself greater than sin, and greater than the Old Testament covenant, which could not put an end to sin. Rather, we have a high priest who offered himself as a sacrifice, once for good and once for all. That priest is Christ. Having such a priest, the author exhorts us to "hold fast to the faith we profess." The presence of sin, exhaustion, and failure are not the period at the end of the sentence - Jesus serves as our priest so that we can hold on.
Moreover, our priest, Jesus, can identify with our weakness. Not only has Jesus made atonement for us, but he can sympathize with us. He can feel our fatigue in his bones, he can feel our pain in his heart, and he can feel the aches in our muscles. And that empathy means that we have a lifeline. We can approach the throne of grace with boldness because we approach it behind Christ. Even though it feels like we are drowning, we have a lighthouse on the shore because Jesus has felt the water rush over his head before as well.
It is also worth noting that the writer exhorts us to "draw near" to God's throne, not because of what we can do or have done, but because we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. Drawing near to God in worship is always possible, even when we are frazzled and worn out, because it is our priest Jesus who leads us toward God. Our approach is dependent, not our merit, but on Jesus' priesthood.
Our great high priest, Jesus, has been through suffering and has passed through the heavens, so that he is now seated with God. Because of his journey, we are not lost - we have hope yet. This hope is specifically for the "drowning times" and the "exhausted times," so that, as the Scripture says, we that might "receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." As we wade through the overwhelming parts of life, don't forget that our high priest stands as a lighthouse at God's side.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
(Heb. 4:14-16, NIV)
Our lives and our work here with the boys are filled with reasons to give up, reasons to let go. Physical fatigue, mental exhaustion, spiritual emptiness, and many more distractions crowd into our hearts, especially during times like the beginning of the summer. The recipients of Hebrews have plenty of temptation to give up as well. They have faced persecution, losing home, family, and monetary and stability because of their commitment to Christ.
Perhaps the most draining aspect of our work and Christian life in general is failure. The demoralizing nature of our mistakes (real or perceived) works against our intent to endure. In fact, we sometimes beat ourselves up so ferociously for our mistakes that we incapacitate ourselves, siphoning the very energy which we would be using to help the boys and, instead of dedicating it to them, punishing ourselves for our mistakes. When our sense of failure mounts like this, it is all the more tempting to give up.
But what the author of Hebrews goes to great lengths to demonstrate is that Jesus has proved himself greater than sin, and greater than the Old Testament covenant, which could not put an end to sin. Rather, we have a high priest who offered himself as a sacrifice, once for good and once for all. That priest is Christ. Having such a priest, the author exhorts us to "hold fast to the faith we profess." The presence of sin, exhaustion, and failure are not the period at the end of the sentence - Jesus serves as our priest so that we can hold on.
Moreover, our priest, Jesus, can identify with our weakness. Not only has Jesus made atonement for us, but he can sympathize with us. He can feel our fatigue in his bones, he can feel our pain in his heart, and he can feel the aches in our muscles. And that empathy means that we have a lifeline. We can approach the throne of grace with boldness because we approach it behind Christ. Even though it feels like we are drowning, we have a lighthouse on the shore because Jesus has felt the water rush over his head before as well.
It is also worth noting that the writer exhorts us to "draw near" to God's throne, not because of what we can do or have done, but because we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. Drawing near to God in worship is always possible, even when we are frazzled and worn out, because it is our priest Jesus who leads us toward God. Our approach is dependent, not our merit, but on Jesus' priesthood.
Our great high priest, Jesus, has been through suffering and has passed through the heavens, so that he is now seated with God. Because of his journey, we are not lost - we have hope yet. This hope is specifically for the "drowning times" and the "exhausted times," so that, as the Scripture says, we that might "receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." As we wade through the overwhelming parts of life, don't forget that our high priest stands as a lighthouse at God's side.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
At present we do not see ...
It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet."
(Heb 2:5-8, NIV)
The writer quotes a familiar psalm to prove the superiority of Jesus. It was not to angels that God has subjected the eternal world, but to Jesus. This "Son of Man" has been crowned and exalted as lord of the universe.
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(Heb 2:8b-9)
The subjection of all reality to the authority of Jesus is total. What is the Son of Man? He is everything; there is nothing that is not subject to him. Yet, the author notes, at present we do not see everything subject to him. The day to day experiences of the community reading this book contradict the belief that the Son of Man has been made Lord of all. The community bears the burden of disgrace and thankless, painful labor everyday, and Christ does not seem to be Lord. When their backs and hearts break with all the sufferings these people face, it seems that there is much which is not in subjection to him.
One of the fundamental divisions of reality for the author of Hebrews is between what we can see and what we cannot see. Here, as is often the case, what is unseen is more real than what is seen. Although we do not see everything in subjection to Jesus, we do see Jesus, the same Son of Man who was "crowned with glory and honor" (vv. 7, 9). We see that he was crowned because he suffered death, in order to suffer for others. The sufferings of the readers take on a new light. Their own struggle is a proclamation that the world is subject to Jesus. Everything was subjected to Jesus because of his death, and so the willingness of his followers to suffer for others is a pronouncement that Christ's victory is won.
This is a completely different view on endurance and perseverance. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time swallowing the "go to church and keep on trucking" mantra sometimes. When you're bone-tired, feeling depleted and unappreciated, you need something else to pull you through, because at some point you can't simply pull yourself up by your boot straps anymore.
What if we recast our weariness as an announcement to the world that Jesus suffered and the world has therefore been placed under his authority? What if when we are in danger of loosing our grip, we had someone who has been there to hold onto? Most importantly, what if we looked beyond the lack of subjection that we see and simply saw Jesus - Jesus who was crowned because he suffered? Jesus has been there, and so we go through pain and fatigue and loss with him. Now that's a reason to keep on going.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
(Heb 2:5-8, NIV)
The writer quotes a familiar psalm to prove the superiority of Jesus. It was not to angels that God has subjected the eternal world, but to Jesus. This "Son of Man" has been crowned and exalted as lord of the universe.
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(Heb 2:8b-9)
The subjection of all reality to the authority of Jesus is total. What is the Son of Man? He is everything; there is nothing that is not subject to him. Yet, the author notes, at present we do not see everything subject to him. The day to day experiences of the community reading this book contradict the belief that the Son of Man has been made Lord of all. The community bears the burden of disgrace and thankless, painful labor everyday, and Christ does not seem to be Lord. When their backs and hearts break with all the sufferings these people face, it seems that there is much which is not in subjection to him.
One of the fundamental divisions of reality for the author of Hebrews is between what we can see and what we cannot see. Here, as is often the case, what is unseen is more real than what is seen. Although we do not see everything in subjection to Jesus, we do see Jesus, the same Son of Man who was "crowned with glory and honor" (vv. 7, 9). We see that he was crowned because he suffered death, in order to suffer for others. The sufferings of the readers take on a new light. Their own struggle is a proclamation that the world is subject to Jesus. Everything was subjected to Jesus because of his death, and so the willingness of his followers to suffer for others is a pronouncement that Christ's victory is won.
This is a completely different view on endurance and perseverance. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time swallowing the "go to church and keep on trucking" mantra sometimes. When you're bone-tired, feeling depleted and unappreciated, you need something else to pull you through, because at some point you can't simply pull yourself up by your boot straps anymore.
What if we recast our weariness as an announcement to the world that Jesus suffered and the world has therefore been placed under his authority? What if when we are in danger of loosing our grip, we had someone who has been there to hold onto? Most importantly, what if we looked beyond the lack of subjection that we see and simply saw Jesus - Jesus who was crowned because he suffered? Jesus has been there, and so we go through pain and fatigue and loss with him. Now that's a reason to keep on going.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The next two weeks ...
Over the next two weeks, Greg and Tiffany have agreed to step up and host our daily devotional time.
I know that you will enjoy the things that they bring to the table. Please let them know when their work strikes a particular chord in your heart.
Blessings,
Ron
I know that you will enjoy the things that they bring to the table. Please let them know when their work strikes a particular chord in your heart.
Blessings,
Ron
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