The shelves in our office are FILLED with books that have great material in chapters one through about four. Don't ask me about beyond that because I couldn't tell you, I have never finished them.
Out of the gates I am a go getter. Those who know me know I was a decent soccer player. When I had to chase down a ball against an opponent, I would usually get there first and I was usually confident I would get there first. If I was in good shape, I would have one of the fastest times in a mile or two timed run.
But the thought of running a marathon totally freaks me out.
The training, the preparation, the commitment, the perseverance, the pain.... I'm sure that I could go and on had I ever experienced one myself. We have all seen the stickers that show how far a person has run 26.2, 13.1, etc. My husband has a sticker on his car that says
Of course that's a joke and people laugh when they see it , but it makes me think of my own spiritual walk.
Endurance is something that I struggle with. I lose heart and many times I give up. In the bible we are called to persevere and we are called to endure.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.What about you? If you had a sticker on your car to reflect your endurance spiritually what number would you show? Are you persevering? Are you enduring? Do you even run at all?
Why are we told in Hebrews to look to Jesus? Other translations tell us to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 12:4
Consider him who from sinners endured such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
We fix our eyes on Jesus, so we do not grow weary or fainthearted. So we can endured like we are called to do.
Maybe like me you prefer short term sprints. You are on fire for God for a short length of time, and then the next thing you know it's been two weeks since you read your bible. Perhaps you blame it on your husband because he keeps moving yours around and you can't find it. (I'm guilty of that one.) Maybe it's your kids, your job, your house, and so on. Excuses are so easy to come by, but giving God your time? We can give it to everyone and everything else in our lives, but it's a good day if we can spare Him five minutes. You become distracted, things get out of perspective and you struggle to keep your mind on Jesus even at church on Sunday. How can we endure without fixing our eyes on Christ? In the fallen world that we live in filled with sin, death, sickness and pain how do we sustain without Him?
The times in my life where I am the weariest and the most frustrated are the times I take my eyes off the cross. Instead of fixing my eyes on Jesus, I fix them on myself.
Maybe you feel extremely distant from Jesus in a time you should feel closest to Him.
Maybe during this time of year that's supposed to be about Jesus has turned into a time about you. As a result you are stressed out or have dug a financial hole by overspending.
Maybe you have received some really tough news over the holidays and don't know what to do with it.
Fix your eyes on Jesus who endured the cross for the joy set before Him. Refocus your vision on Him, why He came and what He did for us.
I posted a poem the other day and I will leave you with the end of it.
December 25th was the day our Savior was born,
God loves us so much He came down in human form.
Jesus was blameless, sinless, and perfect,
He died for our sins even though we didn't deserve it.
This Christmas focus on the only one worthy of our love and our praise,
Christ the Messiah, who came to save.
The bible tells us to repent and put our trust in Him,
To receive the amazing gift of His mercy and grace.
In Christ,
Jennifer
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