Moving towards Courage

"But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.” – Hebrews 3:6

I had never really considered 'Courage' to involve some kind of movement or action. By this I mean that an obvious end-result of courage is usually some kind of action, but are there some steps we can take to get this courage? If you look at the following verses, you will note that there seems to be some action involved:

Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 Chronicles 17:25 - “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So, your servant has found courage to pray to you.

Matthew 14:27 - But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

All of these scriptures seem to suggest that we can position ourselves to "be courageous"; "find courage" or "take courage."

I am not 100% sure what this looks like, but I am sensing that our confidence in Christ's promises has something to do with our willingness to move towards Courage. What do you make of this? How can we move towards this Christ-like Courage? 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Consider the birds

Following on from yesterday's post, where we spoke about being focused on Jesus, we take note of another place in the Bible, where this word is used. The writer to the Hebrews made use of the word 'katanoein', which is the same word Jesus used when he spoke to his followers:

"Think about the ravens! They neither plant nor harvest, they have neither storerooms nor barns, yet God feeds them. You are worth much more than the birds!" - Luke 12: 24

This is a call for us to do more than simply allow our brains to tick over, but rather it is a challenge to 'look and learn.' It is an invitation to 'consider' the example of the ravens or to be focused on what God does for them. Once we have done this exercise we will learn another spiritual insight, which will help us move forward in our faith.

Action: Are you able to find 2 minutes to 'consider the birds of the air' and to reflect on what this says to you about God's love for all of us?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Be Focused!

 

"And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest."

- Hebrews 3:1

When we want someone to take note of something important, we may ask them to 'listen carefully' or 'be focused.' The writer of Hebrews wants us to concentrate on the message he was to share with the people. He wants them to think carefully - he wants them to fix their attention on Jesus.

What does this mean for you today? How do we think carefully on Christ? Do we easily lose focus on what Christ has done for us?

Henri Nouwen - "Pay attention to the people God puts in your path if you want to discern what God is up to in your life." 

Living in grace

D3LM3

The Pioneer

A Pioneer is someone who is the first to venture into an unknown area, territory, or even field of study. There are countless examples of people who have had the courage to be pioneers. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus was the Pioneer of our salvation - being the first to confront death and overcome its sting. Through his efforts we can follow in his footsteps without fear of the unknown.  

Hebrews 2:10 - In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.

We are then called to focus our attention on Him, and to Trust in all he has done for us.

Hebrews 12:2 - 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.

Living in grace

D3LM3

Greater than the angels

The topic of Angels has become quite popular in recent times and of course the Bible refers to angels in many places. In fact, a quick search in BibleGateway will show 290 references to angels. Clearly God used angels as his messengers in many different situations, however the book of Hebrews reminds us that Christ is to be revered more than the angels. 

5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
“You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.
God also said, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”
6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, 
“Let all of God’s angels worship him.” (Hebrews 1)

Angels were seen as messengers of God, but they are never referred to as family - yet, Jesus is called God's Son. In essence, He is both the Message and the Messenger. 

Thought: Let us remember to give thanks for all God has created, but to worship only the Creator!

I also wanted to thank you for taking the time to read my posts - recently I noted that I have had over One Million views/reads on these posts. A lot of these are from folk like yourself who often read the posts - I truly couldn't do it without your support. Thank you. 

If you feel you would like to contribute towards this ministry, you can do so via my Patreon page. You can just click here to find out how. Thanks. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Two contrasting views on wisdom

The author of Proverbs tells us that: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10). 

These words are replicated in Psalm 111:10 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding."

I fully agree with this sentiment - by having a healthy reverence (fear) for the Lord, we are showing a level of wisdom that is humble and healthy. 

However, I came across a quote from Theodore Isaac Rubin, who writes: "Kindness is more important that wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom."

What do you make of these thoughts? Is it more important to be kind, than wise? Is this even something to compare? What do you think?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Filling our horizon

"No believer can cope with adversity unless Christ fills our horizons, our priorities and dominates our experience." - Raymond Brown

I think that these words are so profound and make sense to all who have ever encountered adversity. When troubles come our way (which they always do) the usual temptation is to fill our view with the largeness of the trial, instead of allowing Jesus to fill our horizons. 

2 Corinthians 4:18 - So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Hebrews 12:2 - We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Question: How can we allow Christ to 'fill our horizons' and to help us overcome the adversity in our lives?

Living in Grace

D3LM3