Thursday, September 9
Read Hebrews 12
Think About It:
This chapter’s subtitle is “The Race of Faith”! And the first 3 verses cover it all… “lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us”. Imagine yourself being one of the 12 disciples walking alongside Jesus. A healthy crowd to hang out with and none of today’s problem’s weighing you down. We are called to a simple life of obedience, but we willingly pick up weights to carry along the way and accumulate sins that lead us astray. But if we look to Jesus, He is the author and finisher of your faith! Consider His life: He overlooked all the insults and ignorance all around Him, focusing on the joy ahead. We can have that same joy, by looking to Him and looking ahead! “Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (verse 3). Our problems are no match when compared to what Jesus endured. What was His secret? Continual communion with His Heavenly Father. Verse 25 reminds us that God is always speaking to us, in various ways (but we are not often found to be listening for His voice). So, truly we are Jesus’ disciples, walking alongside Him when we keep our eyes on His through prayer and Bible study.
Take time to listen to God’s voice… what is He speaking to you – through Bible verses, through your circumstances, while you are praying. Ask Him to help you hear Him more often and take more time to quiet yourself to hear His voice throughout your day. Set an alarm to remind you throughout the day, to “consider Him” and listen. Maintain continual communion with your Heavenly Father and refuse to pick up any “weights” throughout your day.
Family Time:
- In verse 1 it mentions ‘witnesses’. The witnesses are the people we read about in Chapter 11 that kept their faith and are listed in God’s Word as examples of faith. So why, in verses 1-2, when it talks about finishing the race ‘since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses’, why would that matter? How would knowing these stories help us?
- Chastening means punishment or discipline. When a parent disciplines a child as God directs, it is a good thing. Read verses 5-11. What happens when we don’t listen to God when He disciplines us? (verse 8) Why does God discipline us? (verse 10)
