Consider Him

At church on Saturday, we took a week break from our chronological study through the gospels and went through the passage of Hebrews 12:1-3.

(Click here for the powerful message by guest speaker Pastor Brent)

"Let us lay aside every weight...and run this race with endurance...looking  unto Jesus..."

We dove deeper into the passage last night at small groups and went over some of these questions as we reviewed our lives in light of the scripture:

-Evaluate the components in your life and ask yourself, "Is it a wing or a weight?"
-How do you endure the obstacles you are facing?
-How do you walk alongside others when they need the strength to endure an obstacle?
-How do we endure in this race and stay focused on the goal of the ministry of reconciliation?

We talked about how even good things can be weights in your life if it is not helping you grow toward the purpose God has for you in your season of your walk with Him.

But HOW do we make these decisions? HOW do we find the strength and motivation to endure our current or future trials during this race of our Christian life?

We cannot do it in our own strength- in ourselves, we do not contain the ability.
That is why the writer of Hebrews wrote these two powerful phrases of instruction:

"Looking unto Jesus..."

and

"Consider Him..."

The power of knowing Jesus and spending time with Jesus and seeking Jesus cannot be overemphasized. It is not part of the process.
It IS the process.

It is reading His Word so that we know what He has endured, and what He has said, and what He has done.

It is spending time at His feet in prayer and seeking His heart.

It is grabbing members of your fellowship and praying together with them.

It is receiving His Spirit and being empowered by Him. (Acts 1:8)

It is seeking Him in ALL things.

It is asking for His perspective in ALL things.

It is surrendering to His care and His will.

It is "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was before Him (that's us!) endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

He has already won the victory! So today, this week, in our lives, let's bring Him into everything.

Consider Him.