How does a person lose weight? How does a team win a championship? How does a business grow their influence? How does a relationship stay connected? How does a Christian stay consistently committed to Christ? We are all looking for the “magic formula” or the “blueprint for success.” There is one emphatic characteristic of success...endurance.
Success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes hard and committed work. When everyone else is eating that donut, you’re eating a bag of carrots. When everyone else is sleeping, you’re up early running wind sprints and lifting weights. When everyone else is coming to the office at 9:00 AM, you’re up at 5:00 AM planning your day, sending out emails.
Your Christian journey is no different. It takes “behind the scenes” hard work in order to grow to be the person God is calling you to be. The pressure is always there. The persecution is not far behind. The temptation is always to “go back to what was once comfortable.” I have seen many people come into the church excited to know God, only to fall away when the emotion wore off, or the urgency faded away.
The writer of Hebrews sensed the same issue with the young Jewish believers. Jesus had died on The Cross as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for their sins, yet they were considering going back to the Mosaic system of animal sacrifices. Why would they do that? Comfort. It’s what they knew. It’s what they understood. It’s what brought them comfort.
So many times, we are tempted to “go back” to our past comforts whether it was the beer bottle, materialistic obsessions, popularity cravings, dishonest gain, or a million other things. So, the author of Hebrews gives to us, just as he did the 1st century believers, a template or blueprint to avoid such devastating and painful decisions.
How do we stay consistent in our journey of faith? It begins with “holding onto our faith” with perseverance and urgency. When a tragedy hits, we trust Jesus! When money is tight, we trust Jesus! When we are battling physically, we trust Jesus! When all hope seems lost, we trust Jesus! Why? Because we know that one day we will be in heaven with him, and all the cares of this world will literally pass away.
Easier said than done, right? I knew you might be thinking that, and I agree. So, let me keep building on this amazing blueprint for spiritual success. The author of Hebrews continues with the second challenge which is to “help” people. Did you know that there are literally 100 references in the New Testament that refer to “ONE ANOTHER.” Of those times, 59 of them are commands for us to obey (Check out your sermon notes from Sunday to read a few of them). I find it amazing that the author of Hebrews gives a strategy for spiritual growth, and it’s not focused on a “stage”; it’s focused on “conversations.” In other words, most of your spiritual growth is not going to come from hearing me preach every Sunday, it’s going to come from “rubbing shoulders” in relationship with others where encouragement, confrontation, and prayer is present. Wow! What I am saying is that our spiritual journey is emphatically attached to each other...doing life with one another.
So, I have been building from the top down. The top of the house is “holding strong”; it’s the beautiful rooms that we see. It’s all of the exteriors. The next part is the walls and structure. This is the sturdiness that relationships bring to us. Remember, when the Psalmist shared that “iron sharpens iron.” This is that reality. Ultimately, it’s the foundation that makes it possible for the walls and structure to stand strong; for the beauty of the rooms and decor to shine brightly. Here is the final layer – it's the foundation. It’s Jesus specifically; it’s our commitment to the church secondarily. We need each other.
What I am ending my devotion with is the priority of “gathering!” The writer emphatically challenges his readers to “keep meeting together.” Did you know that the word church literally means “call out assembly that gathers.” We need each other. That’s the blueprint for success. He even says that we should gather together even more as the coming of Jesus Christ gets closer and closer. Jesus first; others second. In so many places in the Bible, community or fellowship is the key to continued growth. When you have like-minded people inspiring you forward, it’s then that you have the strength to “hold onto your faith!” We. Need. Each. Other. It’s how God designed it. Next week, come to church looking for more than a sermon; look to encourage someone!
Success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes hard and committed work. When everyone else is eating that donut, you’re eating a bag of carrots. When everyone else is sleeping, you’re up early running wind sprints and lifting weights. When everyone else is coming to the office at 9:00 AM, you’re up at 5:00 AM planning your day, sending out emails.
Your Christian journey is no different. It takes “behind the scenes” hard work in order to grow to be the person God is calling you to be. The pressure is always there. The persecution is not far behind. The temptation is always to “go back to what was once comfortable.” I have seen many people come into the church excited to know God, only to fall away when the emotion wore off, or the urgency faded away.
The writer of Hebrews sensed the same issue with the young Jewish believers. Jesus had died on The Cross as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for their sins, yet they were considering going back to the Mosaic system of animal sacrifices. Why would they do that? Comfort. It’s what they knew. It’s what they understood. It’s what brought them comfort.
So many times, we are tempted to “go back” to our past comforts whether it was the beer bottle, materialistic obsessions, popularity cravings, dishonest gain, or a million other things. So, the author of Hebrews gives to us, just as he did the 1st century believers, a template or blueprint to avoid such devastating and painful decisions.
How do we stay consistent in our journey of faith? It begins with “holding onto our faith” with perseverance and urgency. When a tragedy hits, we trust Jesus! When money is tight, we trust Jesus! When we are battling physically, we trust Jesus! When all hope seems lost, we trust Jesus! Why? Because we know that one day we will be in heaven with him, and all the cares of this world will literally pass away.
Easier said than done, right? I knew you might be thinking that, and I agree. So, let me keep building on this amazing blueprint for spiritual success. The author of Hebrews continues with the second challenge which is to “help” people. Did you know that there are literally 100 references in the New Testament that refer to “ONE ANOTHER.” Of those times, 59 of them are commands for us to obey (Check out your sermon notes from Sunday to read a few of them). I find it amazing that the author of Hebrews gives a strategy for spiritual growth, and it’s not focused on a “stage”; it’s focused on “conversations.” In other words, most of your spiritual growth is not going to come from hearing me preach every Sunday, it’s going to come from “rubbing shoulders” in relationship with others where encouragement, confrontation, and prayer is present. Wow! What I am saying is that our spiritual journey is emphatically attached to each other...doing life with one another.
So, I have been building from the top down. The top of the house is “holding strong”; it’s the beautiful rooms that we see. It’s all of the exteriors. The next part is the walls and structure. This is the sturdiness that relationships bring to us. Remember, when the Psalmist shared that “iron sharpens iron.” This is that reality. Ultimately, it’s the foundation that makes it possible for the walls and structure to stand strong; for the beauty of the rooms and decor to shine brightly. Here is the final layer – it's the foundation. It’s Jesus specifically; it’s our commitment to the church secondarily. We need each other.
What I am ending my devotion with is the priority of “gathering!” The writer emphatically challenges his readers to “keep meeting together.” Did you know that the word church literally means “call out assembly that gathers.” We need each other. That’s the blueprint for success. He even says that we should gather together even more as the coming of Jesus Christ gets closer and closer. Jesus first; others second. In so many places in the Bible, community or fellowship is the key to continued growth. When you have like-minded people inspiring you forward, it’s then that you have the strength to “hold onto your faith!” We. Need. Each. Other. It’s how God designed it. Next week, come to church looking for more than a sermon; look to encourage someone!