10-26-18 Today in the Word

Today in the Word
October 2018
Book of Hebrews: A Call to Faith in Christ
CHRIST: THE PERFECTER OF FAITH
Friday, October 26, 2018 | Hebrews 11:32–12:3
Marathon runners know the challenge of enduring for 26.2 miles. The moment will come when lungs are burning, joints are aching, and muscles are failing. These athletes also know the power of encouragement from the great crowds cheering them on from the sidelines.
In chapters 11 and 12, the author of Hebrews is developing that image of runners being cheered. He continues the list of heroes in the faith, including men and women who endured great danger and torture and “faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (11:36). Many were killed, often in gruesome ways. Others lived, but experienced poverty, persecution, mistreatment, and homelessness.
Why does the author of Hebrews mention all these? Because “these were all commended for their faith,” even if “none of them received what had been promised” (11:39). Moreover, these men and women of faith are “a great cloud of witnesses” (12:1) now surrounding us as we run our own race in life. Imagining them cheering us on, we are encouraged to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” and run “with perseverance” (12:1).
We do not run aimlessly. As in any race, we must look to the goal, and Scripture encourages us to run while “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (12:2). Our focus is on Christ because He is the culmination of this “hall of faith,” the perfect example. In perfect faith, Christ “endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2).
Christ is not just our model and source of faith; He is also the “perfecter” of faith, that is, the one who brings it to completion. In Him alone, we are brought to the finish line of faith.
APPLY THE WORD
The Christian life involves focusing on Christ and rejecting sin, which Scripture describes as an entangling hindrance. Whether gossip, anger, lust, pride, or an excessive trust in material possessions, these sins are like heavy burdens, weighing you down. Ask God for the strength to throw them off and run with perseverance.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more