Hebrews 12 is one of those chapters in the Bible that is chock full of such rich goodness. It kind of overwhelms me to post a blog about it. So, I am going to break it down and start slow. Let's look at the first three verses of Hebrews 12 and ask ourselves some questions.
Verse 1 refers back to the people of faith in Hebrews 11. Who is in your personal crowd of witnesses? Take a minute to make a list in your Bible or in your journal. Do you have family members who taught you about God? What about your friends? Church members? Who encourages you as you run this race of life?
Do you get tired of running this race? What weighs you down? What sin keeps tripping you up? Stop right now and have a little talk with Jesus. Tell him where you struggle. Ask Him to strengthen you when you are weak and weary. Confess your sin, and He will be faithful to clean you up.
Do you find it difficult to keep your eyes on Jesus? Is it hard to see Him in the midst of your chaos? Is it hard to hear His voice calling to you? Press the pause button on all the storm that rages around you, and get quiet with the LORD. He still loves you. He has a plan for your life. Ask Him to build your faith in His goodness.
Hebrews 12:2 in the NIV says, "For the joy set before him he endured the cross." Now that just makes no sense to me. How could the cross bring any kind of joy for Jesus? I like how the CEV describes it, "He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did." I'm sure glad He did! What tough thing are you facing? Does it scare you to death? Can you ask God to help you endure it so you can get through to the joy on the other side?
When we think of all the hostility Jesus endured for us, can that give us some courage to face our own struggles? Thank Jesus for His example of perseverance. Ask Him for the will not to become weary and not to give up. Find a running partner for this race of life. Let's keep pressing on, my friend!
Verse 1 refers back to the people of faith in Hebrews 11. Who is in your personal crowd of witnesses? Take a minute to make a list in your Bible or in your journal. Do you have family members who taught you about God? What about your friends? Church members? Who encourages you as you run this race of life?
Do you get tired of running this race? What weighs you down? What sin keeps tripping you up? Stop right now and have a little talk with Jesus. Tell him where you struggle. Ask Him to strengthen you when you are weak and weary. Confess your sin, and He will be faithful to clean you up.
Do you find it difficult to keep your eyes on Jesus? Is it hard to see Him in the midst of your chaos? Is it hard to hear His voice calling to you? Press the pause button on all the storm that rages around you, and get quiet with the LORD. He still loves you. He has a plan for your life. Ask Him to build your faith in His goodness.
Hebrews 12:2 in the NIV says, "For the joy set before him he endured the cross." Now that just makes no sense to me. How could the cross bring any kind of joy for Jesus? I like how the CEV describes it, "He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did." I'm sure glad He did! What tough thing are you facing? Does it scare you to death? Can you ask God to help you endure it so you can get through to the joy on the other side?
When we think of all the hostility Jesus endured for us, can that give us some courage to face our own struggles? Thank Jesus for His example of perseverance. Ask Him for the will not to become weary and not to give up. Find a running partner for this race of life. Let's keep pressing on, my friend!
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