So great a cloud of witnesses
Hebrews 12:1-2
New International Version (NIV)
12 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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We have a wall at our church that has photographs of every senior pastor who has led our church. Each time I walk through that hallway, I am reminded of this scripture,“Therefore, we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.” It gives me comfort to know that these men who went before me had difficulties and hardships, yet they endured. In fact, the above scripture tells us that these men and other Christians before them marked out the path for us to run.
Living the Christian life is not always easy. Jesus said we must take up our cross if we are to follow Him. But notice in the above scripture that we are to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” We can hardly run the Christian race if we are encumbered with distractions and sin.
How do we focus on Jesus so that we can finish the race? We must remember that the key to being a disciple is discipline. John Wesley taught that the spiritual disciplines of reading the scripture, prayer, and class meetings (called works of piety) along with works of mercy (caring for those who cannot care for themselves) were all part of being a disciple. If we want to grow in relationship with God and with man, we must follow the disciplines of daily Bible reading, prayer, and meeting with other Christians in praise and worship.
Will God love us more if we follow these practices? No, but we will love God more.
PRAYER: Father, as we seek to grow in discipleship, help us to remember those who have gone before us. Help us, Father, to develop the discipline to make time for you each day so that our joy will be made complete and we will focus upon you for the duration of our race. Amen
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Psalm 119: 57 You are my portion, Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.
58 I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
David says in this psalm that God is his portion. In Hebrew, the word used for portion is chalaq, which means property, allotment, or even inheritance. David knew that God was all he needed because he sought God’s face with his whole heart. When you seek God’s face with your whole heart, not half-heartedly and not because it is expected of you, then you begin to assess your life. Anything in your life that distracts you from the living God becomes worthless and is easily cast aside.
I love the chorus “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,” because in its simplicity it gives us all we need to seek holiness. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
Have you turned your eyes upon Jesus today? Have you promised to obey God’s words? It is never too late to begin a new relationship with Jesus, where He becomes your portion, and you receive grace that goes beyond justification for your sins. The grace that comes from obedience and loving God with your whole heart is the grace that is sufficient for all our needs (2 Cor 12:9).
Does this mean we have to earn grace? Absolutely not. The free grace of God brought us to salvation, and it is that same grace that enables us to live as disciples. But we must appropriate grace. As regards salvation, we had to agree with God that Jesus is His son, that he died for our sins and as a result the unmerited favor of God justified us from our sins.
So how to we appropriate God’s grace for daily living? 1 Peter 5:5 (NKJV) Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Humility makes way for God’s grace to become active in our lives.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus and you will see that His grace is, indeed, sufficient for all of your needs.
PRAYER: Father, we come before you today, humbled by your presence and grateful for all you do in our lives. May we always look full in your wonderful face so that regardless of the circumstances in our lives, your grace will indeed be sufficient. Amen
Happy are those…
Matthew 5:1-14
New International Version (NIV)
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
As a child I remember learning the Ten Commandments. My first impression was that there were a lot of “thou shall nots” in the Bible. Also, as a child I could not see how some of these “thou shall nots” were relevant to me. Murder someone? Not me. Adultery? I am fairly certain I did not know what that was at the time.
Some have said what the Ten Commandments were to the Old Testament the Beatitudes are to the New Testament. While the Ten Commandments were given to us to point out our need for a Savior, the Beatitudes were given by our Savior. To me, The Ten Commandments were the skeleton for Christian living and the Beatitudes fleshes out how disciples are supposed to live.
When we read the Beatitudes, several things stand out:
- Each Beatitude forms a step that leads us upward to the pathway of holiness—when we recognize how bankrupt we are in spirit without God, we will mourn, and when we mourn we will become meek…
- Beatitudes are blessings dependent not on our circumstances, but on having the joy of God within our hearts
- Beatitudes teach us that salvation is not the end game, but it is the starting point in our journey
- Beatitudes, like the Ten Commandments, begin with our relationship with God and move into our relationship with others
Salvation, that wonderful free gift of God’s grace, brings us first back into a right relationship with our God, and then builds new relationships with others. Because that is what salvation is all about—that is what grace is all about. We are transformed into new creatures in Christ and that transformation brings about new relationships. Our ultimate reward surely is in heaven, but our present reward is in the way we live for God and for our fellow man here and now.
PRAYER: Father, each morning I awake with the knowledge of who you are and what you have done to redeem me and to enable me to seek after holiness. Each morning, I pray that I will do no harm, do good, and love you with my whole heart. Some days I am successful, other days I fall short of the mark. May today be the day that I live the Beatitudes, that my happiness depends not on my circumstances but on the joy you have planted deep within my heart. Amen
Darkness into light
1 John 1
Common English Bible (CEB)
Announcement about the word of life
1 We announce to you what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have seen and our hands handled, about the word of life. 2 The life was revealed, and we have seen, and we testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. 3 What we have seen and heard, we also announce it to you so that you can have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy can be complete.
The message: God is light
5 This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” 6 If we claim, “We have fellowship with him,” and live in the darkness, we are lying and do not act truthfully. 7 But if we live in the light in the same way as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. 8 If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong. 10 If we claim, “We have never sinned,” we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
If you have ever taken a tour of a cavern, there inevitably comes the time when all of the lights are extinguished and you are in total darkness. Then, as if by magic, one match is struck and the light pierces the darkness just like the sword of the Word of God pierces our souls.
Christianity is not just about salvation, but it is about transformation. We who were in the darkness of our sins step into the marvelous light of the truth of God’s grace and we are a changed people . Through the transformation of salvation we are restored into a right relationship with God, our father, and with all those we meet.
Our relationship with Christians becomes sweeter, and our relationship with those who have not yet accepted the gift of salvation becomes both urgent and compassionate. no longer rules our lives, but instead the divinity of Christ covers our humanity. Yet, we cannot claim that we no longer sin because that sin nature is always within us, struggling to be the dominant force in our lives. It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of His spirit that we can be world overcomers.
PRAYER: Father, how great is your love and your grace. May we appropriate your grace each and every day so that we will not only be transformed but we will do all we can to share your love with others. Amen.
Be Established in Faith
Colossians 2:6 So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him. 7 Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught. 8 See to it that nobody enslaves you with philosophy and foolish deception, which conform to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ.
Human nature is nothing if not humorous. After all, we have everything we need in Christ to be content, thankful, and strengthened in our faith, yet we tend to look other places for our help. Isn’t that funny? We are given freedom from bondage in Christ, yet we allow people to deceive us and burden us with traditions made by man instead of God. Isn’t that funny?
The Colossians were in danger of having the gospel adulterated by those who taught that faith and grace alone were not enough to offer salvation. And, if you think about it, the gospel does not make sense to the world. How could it? The gospel requires that we believe in a God we cannot see, follow a Christ who did not come to save the people from a corrupt government but from the corruption within their souls, and depend on a spirit for strength and guidance.
Things have not changed much in the 21st century. Instead of reading the Bible to discern God’s will, we read self-help books. Rather than allowing our faith to sustain us, we look for signs. Will we ever learn?
PRAYER: Dear God, forgive us for failing to remain steadfast but instead being tossed by every wind. Help us to maintain a teachable heart and to keep our eyes on you rather than seeking answers elsewhere. Amen
Seeking Holiness 