peace and progressive transformation

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, for without it no one will see the Lord. [Hebrews 12:14 NET]

What do you think of when you read the word holiness? Perhaps you see it as form of sacredness or piety? The Greek word carries with it a sense of being progressively transformed by the Lord into His likeness. That makes sense to me. The Christian life is all about spiritual transformation.

This verse indicates that the fruit of such transformation is a pursuit of peace. Furthermore it teaches us that this sort of peace is not merely passive. The peace that God desires is not about a cessation of war. His peace is all about pursuing the welfare of the other and not the self.

This rings true to me. This kind of peace involves transforming pride into humility. Offense into forgiveness. It is not about nations but about individuals becoming like Jesus. The lack of such transformation is an evidence that one does not know or see the Lord in this life or the next.

I need your transformation Lord. Help me to do the things that make for peace.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
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love and unintended consequences

Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? [Hebrews 12:7 NLT]

What do think of when you ponder the word 'discipline'? Perhaps visions of spankings or time-outs come to mind. It seems logical to us that a loving parent would do everything in their power to help their kids become disciplined adults. So they draw boundaries around their kids choices. As these boundaries are created consequences are given. If the child crosses the boundary they are disciplined.

I think that boundaries and consequences are what must be examined when we consider divine discipline. The idea of boundaries can be traced back to Genesis when God told Adam that there would be consequences if he ate of a specific tree. Adam ate and was forced to leave Eden. So for some it follows that everyone is disciplined by God in this very personal manner.

My thinking is that the account in Genesis is more allegorical than historical. The story is meant to teach us about ourselves and how bad choices can result in unintended consequences. In my view God generally disciplines us through natural consequences. Because he loves us God uses the consequences of our choices to bring discipline into our lives and make us disciples.

Open our eyes Lord to how you are bringing discipline into our lives.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
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experiencing joy when we are unhappy

We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. [Hebrews 12:2 GW]

In some sense faith is a circle. It begins with Jesus when are spiritually born. This is when we first meet him. The circle ends when we meet him in the next life. Between these divine meetings Jesus teaches us how to live a life of faith. In that sense he is the source, the means and the goal.

I love what this verse teaches us about the relationship between suffering and joy. It helps us understand that we can experience joy even when we suffer. Yet such a joy cannot be realized if our focus is inward. We experience joy when we, like Christ on the cross, are focused on others.

In this light we understand the difference between being happy and being joyous. We can have joy even when we are unhappy if our attention turns to how our affliction can benefit others. We can endure unhappy circumstances if our eyes are focused on Jesus and the kind of joy that he saw.

Teach me Lord to turn my focus away from myself and onto others,

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
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parasitic sins

Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. [Hebrews 12:1 MSG]

I love the imagery that Eugene Peterson energizes this verse with. It reminds me of how marathoners prepare for the long race. They train. Eat right. They have a regimen that readies them to encounter obstacles and make it to the finish line. This verse likens life to a spiritual marathon.

In that sense it is teaching us to strip ourselves of harmful things like fear, bitterness, worry and anxiety. And reminding us that that sinful acts can latch on to us and, like an invisible leech, suck the spiritual blood out us. These things can cripple us and disable for the marathon of life.

Open our inner eyes Lord that we might see the things that disable us for the race.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
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the spiritual cloud

We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means.
So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. [Hebrews 12:1 NCV]

I have heard some say that this verse supports the idea that ghost-like saints surround us in our daily lives. My thinking is that this cloud is simply an illusion to the idea that we are not alone in our faith journey. Faith is not something that we live out by ourselves. We need each other.

In this sense we are all a part of a spiritual cloud. A cosmic community of love and encouragement. This cloud is eternal in nature. It transcends time and space. It is filled with people, past and present, who inspire us and encourage us to never give up as we run the race of faith.

In light of this the writer admonishes us to persevere in hard times. He reminds us that we are a part of a spiritual community, a cloud if you will, filled with people who remained faithful when they suffered. And as we persevere we also demonstrate what it means to live a life of faith.

Thank you Lord for this cloud of witnesses that surround us as we run the race of faith.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
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leaning into your heart

      All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith,
      yet none of them received all that God had promised. [Hebrews 11:38 NLT]

The essence of faithfulness revolves around how we live as we wait for what has been promised. How we live when things do not turn out the way that we want. Do we persevere or do we fall away? Do we continue to believe that God is with us or do we allow doubt to morph into unbelief?

My belief is that we can only be faithful to One who we actually know. Paul wrote to Timothy saying that he endured suffering because he knew the one in whom he trusted. Sadly many fall away in hard times because they do not actually know God. And they really do not believe in his promises.

On a personal level I often struggle in this area. Even people who know God have doubts when life is hard. Sometimes it is really difficult to believe that God is working things for my good. In times like these I simply lean into my heart, the place where his promises are alive and well.

Help us Lord to find a way to lean into our heart when life does not make sense to our head.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
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so that they might rise

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. [Hebrews 11:35-36 ESV]

History is sadly littered with stories of torture. Sadder still is the justification for such acts. Governments rationalize it by invoking national security. Other examples seem to be more sadistic in nature. And to a lesser extent, mocking seems to be a fruit of this same nasty tree.

These things all point me back to the One who was tortured with flogging and a crown of thorns. The One who showed us how to rise above the sufferings of our lives. The One who quietly trusted the Father when life was reeling out of control. The One who gave us an example of a better life.

Thank you Jesus for showing us how to rise above the mockings and sufferings of our lives.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.
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