It's so easy to get distracted by worldly things. I've seen it, and I bet you can agree. So much sin, so much "I have every right to yada yada yada," and it just seems to drag us away from God.
But God is not distracted. God is always faithful, always pulling you towards Himself, whether you know Him or not. He's proved this over and over and over again in Scripture. If you don't believe me, read Hebrews 11. The whole chapter is about faith, both people's faith and God's. So, "since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses," witnesses of what God can do with our faith and witnesses of how faithful He is, let's throw off everything keeping us from receiving His best. That means sin, idols, lies, all distractions that hold us back. This doesn't mean to get rid of everything you enjoy and all the people you care about, but it does mean getting rid of the things that don't matter and making God higher than the ones that do. Maybe this means deleting an app from your phone, or asking God for forgiveness of a sin you've committed. Maybe it means accepting Jesus as your Savior, if you haven't yet. When we live free, we live best.
By doing things like this, we are persevering through our distractions. That's the whole theme of this issue: persevering. And I think these verses aren't just about distractions, but also about trials. If you noticed, almost all the witnesses in Hebrews 11 had to put their faith in God to bring them through difficulty or answer their prayers. They did amazing things through their waiting and trial, but they did them by faith. Faith is so, so important in the Christian's life. You probably know that, even if you aren't a believer. So how do we continue to run the race that God has for us, even when it gets long and hard and the other way is just so tempting? How do we find the strength to endure?
We fix our eyes on Jesus.
The verses describe Jesus as the "pioneer and perfecter of faith." Jesus is the image of faith, from His first breath to His last. Jesus faced scorn and temptation and loss and all these different difficulties, every single one that we could ever face. He died from the most tortuous form of execution in history, while also taking our eternal punishment (being forsaken by God) and sin on His shoulders. He persevered through it all, because He knew that not only would He sit down on His throne with God, but He would also create a way for us, His most beloved creation, to know our Heavenly Father. He fixed His eyes on God and the joy God had for Him, so we must do the same.
If you're going through something difficult right now, whether you're a believer or nonbeliever, I encourage you to read from the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). Watch as Jesus faces difficulty and ridicule at the hands of those He came to save. Watch how He is always loving, never responding with anger or hate, but always with mercy and compassion. Watch as He faces the loss of friends and family, and how He handles it (although please remember that you can't raise people from the dead unless it's God's will). Fix your eyes on the perfecter of our faith, and that's where you'll find the strength to persevere.
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Day of Salvation | Issue #15
Spiritual"For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV -------- This week's theme is perseverance! Day...
