February
Enduring, Persevering, Overcoming
by Cynthia Saladin
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1, ESV).
“Therefore” is such a powerful word. That single word is a yield sign which says, “As you continue down this path, consider everything that we’ve just been talking about.” It means “in light of all that went before.” It means that we’ve reached the following conclusion based on the preceding facts.
What are the preceding facts? The great cloud of witnesses itemized in chapter 11, from Abel, Enoch, and Noah to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph; from Moses and his parents to the Israelites coming out of Egypt. This entire chapter cites people whose faith was not perfect, i.e. Samson and Jephthah or even Abraham. Nevertheless, they are listed among the faithful. And then there are those who aren’t even named; we just have the deeds: those “who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. 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. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Heb. 11:33-38, ESV).
The author of Hebrews calls these people a “great cloud of witnesses.” Think for a moment about the mental image the word “cloud” evokes! A plethora, an abundance, a myriad, an enormous chunk - there are many, many people who are part of this hall of faith, who are witnesses of God’s glory and power and majesty! They are real, tangible examples of people who endured difficulties and yet maintained their trust that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. They were not perfect, but they persevered.
So then, the author exhorts us to also lay aside every weight. If we must also lay aside every weight, that means someone else has already laid aside every weight. That cloud of witnesses didn’t have easy lives, smooth sailing, clear paths. They gave us an example of laying aside every weight so they could run with endurance the race set before them.
Weight could encompass all kinds of things. Distractions from following God’s will in your life could be a weight that hinders your progress. Guilt from past sins - although already forgiven by God - can drag you down. Weight could include time-wasters or being involved in something that looks good, but isn’t profitable for the kingdom. Weight could be not taking care of yourself (not eating healthy, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, or exercising) so that you don’t think clearly. Weight is anything which pulls you down, prohibiting you from making the most of every opportunity to serve God efficiently and thoroughly.
Think of the burden that Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress carried. Then consider the analogy the author of Hebrews is employing. He’s talking about running a race so that you’ll win. When you’re running a race, you don’t want any extra weight - at all. And you certainly don’t want the kind of weight or burden that Christian was carrying. Lay every weight aside!
Then the author emphasizes a special category which can hinder our progress: sin. He says that sin so easily entangles us. In light of what the preceding verses contained, you could make a strong case that unbelief, lack of faith, is that sin which so easily entangles. Hebrews 3:17-19 says that the Israelites disobeyed because of their unbelief. If you don’t have faith in God, you are not going to keep His commandments.
So, in light of all these witnesses, we lay aside every weight and any unbelief in our lives so that we can “run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The imagery here is strong perseverance, not strolling, nor crawling, not meandering. The author exhorts us to run - put great effort into the race. It’s going to call for perseverance and endurance. It’s going to tax your strength and determination. It’s going to be hard. But it’s the race that God has set for you to do. He’s given you examples of others who had difficulties and yet succeeded because of their faith in God. Similarly, hold on to the faith God has given you. Believe in Him. Lay aside anything that is hindering your race. Fight! Set your eyes on the goal so that you can run with endurance. Don’t be distracted by anything.
This verse is an appropriate verse for the present times. Our nation is making one godless choice after another. We grieve at the abominations done all around us. That can drag us down. Additionally, while we are in the grip of some of the coldest air we’ve seen in many, many years, Australia is experiencing record heat so that fish are dying in the Darling River and bats are dropping dead from the heat in mid-air. The weather discourages and depresses us. We struggle against it. Then too, so many are battling health issues or end-of-life issues. Whether we’ve lost a family member or close friend or whether we suffer along with those who are battling disease, we feel the weight of the struggle.
We don’t make light of any of the struggles that we endure. But we have to keep our eyes on the goal, the city that God is preparing for us. And we have a great cloud of witnesses who also endured destitution, affliction, and persecution. We take heart that God is and that He’s the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) and that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
We have a race to run. We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We can’t grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 12:3). We must endure, persevere and overcome to the end.
Go with God.
Satan’s Tactics
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from family values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ.
“If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time so they can’t gain that experience in Jesus Christ.
“This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day.”
“How shall we do this?” shouted the evil angels.
“Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work and the husbands to work six or seven days a week, ten to twelve hours a day,
so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.
“Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to keep the TV, the DVD, and their CDs going constantly in their homes. Tempt them to spend more time on their computers, especially watching internet pornography.
“Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news twenty-four hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services, and false hopes.
“When they meet for fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions. Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength.” (Source: Open Doors)
"Look around and be distressed, look within and be depressed, look at Jesus and be at rest. When we look at Him we are victorious.” - Corrie Ten Boom
Yes, There Is Good News
by Bill Rollins
Usually on the first Sunday of each month, I have the blessing of conducting worship services at the Salem Lutheran Home Chapel. Nearly two and a half years ago, I gave a message that is as relevant now as it was then. It was an important message, and one filled with hope, joy, and good news. Let me try to express it here in writing.
After singing the hymn, “Near to the Heart of God,” with the residents, I mentioned that the author, Cleland McAfee, penned this beautiful song after hearing that his two nieces had just died from diphtheria in 1901. Mr. McAfee, with a deeply grieving heart, retreated to the comforting words of the scripture and to God. He said that he felt the words and music flow from his grieving heart and that on the day of the double funeral, he stood outside the quarantined home of his brother and sang the words as he choked back tears.
“There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God ...” Have you ever desired to truly draw near to the heart of God? Have you ever needed a place of quiet rest in your life when things seem to be in turmoil all around you? Does the world ever bring heartaches, trials and troubles to your door? In John 16:33, Jesus says, “... take heart, I have overcome the world.” Jesus promises us peace. In the third stanza of the song it says, “There is a place of joy and peace, near to the heart of God.”
And what about that quiet rest? In Matthew 11:28 we read, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The chorus of that song says this, “ O Jesus, blessed Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us who wait before thee, near to the heart of God.”
We have talked about the word “heart” in previous articles and so we can apply the definition of the word to the “heart of God.” His heart is who He is! Scripture tells us that God is love - this is His heart. It tells us He is compassionate - this is His heart. It tells us He is Kind - this is His heart.
But we also know that God will not force us to draw near to Him. In Isaiah 40:11, we read, “Behold .. God tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers His lambs in His arms. He carries them close to His heart and He gently leads those with young.” He leads and we must follow! Again, in the gospel of John 10:14, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me ... My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.” What a beautiful statement from our Savior!
The heart of God is a beautiful place to be it; is a comforting place. And as the hymn says, “... a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.” May we learn to follow.
If you live in a pastor’s home, you have the right to remain silent because anything you say or do may be used in a sermon illustration.
"When you say 'There's too much evil in this world', you assume there's 'good'. When you assume there's good, you assume there's such a thing as a 'moral law' on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil. But if you assume a moral law, you must posit a 'Moral-Law Giver', but that's Who you're trying to disprove and not prove. Because if there's no Moral-Law Giver, there's no moral law. If there's no moral law, there's no good. If there's no good, there's no evil. What is your question?"
~Ravi Zacharias
Enduring, Persevering, Overcoming
by Cynthia Saladin
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1, ESV).
“Therefore” is such a powerful word. That single word is a yield sign which says, “As you continue down this path, consider everything that we’ve just been talking about.” It means “in light of all that went before.” It means that we’ve reached the following conclusion based on the preceding facts.
What are the preceding facts? The great cloud of witnesses itemized in chapter 11, from Abel, Enoch, and Noah to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph; from Moses and his parents to the Israelites coming out of Egypt. This entire chapter cites people whose faith was not perfect, i.e. Samson and Jephthah or even Abraham. Nevertheless, they are listed among the faithful. And then there are those who aren’t even named; we just have the deeds: those “who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. 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. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Heb. 11:33-38, ESV).
The author of Hebrews calls these people a “great cloud of witnesses.” Think for a moment about the mental image the word “cloud” evokes! A plethora, an abundance, a myriad, an enormous chunk - there are many, many people who are part of this hall of faith, who are witnesses of God’s glory and power and majesty! They are real, tangible examples of people who endured difficulties and yet maintained their trust that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. They were not perfect, but they persevered.
So then, the author exhorts us to also lay aside every weight. If we must also lay aside every weight, that means someone else has already laid aside every weight. That cloud of witnesses didn’t have easy lives, smooth sailing, clear paths. They gave us an example of laying aside every weight so they could run with endurance the race set before them.
Weight could encompass all kinds of things. Distractions from following God’s will in your life could be a weight that hinders your progress. Guilt from past sins - although already forgiven by God - can drag you down. Weight could include time-wasters or being involved in something that looks good, but isn’t profitable for the kingdom. Weight could be not taking care of yourself (not eating healthy, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, or exercising) so that you don’t think clearly. Weight is anything which pulls you down, prohibiting you from making the most of every opportunity to serve God efficiently and thoroughly.
Think of the burden that Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress carried. Then consider the analogy the author of Hebrews is employing. He’s talking about running a race so that you’ll win. When you’re running a race, you don’t want any extra weight - at all. And you certainly don’t want the kind of weight or burden that Christian was carrying. Lay every weight aside!
Then the author emphasizes a special category which can hinder our progress: sin. He says that sin so easily entangles us. In light of what the preceding verses contained, you could make a strong case that unbelief, lack of faith, is that sin which so easily entangles. Hebrews 3:17-19 says that the Israelites disobeyed because of their unbelief. If you don’t have faith in God, you are not going to keep His commandments.
So, in light of all these witnesses, we lay aside every weight and any unbelief in our lives so that we can “run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The imagery here is strong perseverance, not strolling, nor crawling, not meandering. The author exhorts us to run - put great effort into the race. It’s going to call for perseverance and endurance. It’s going to tax your strength and determination. It’s going to be hard. But it’s the race that God has set for you to do. He’s given you examples of others who had difficulties and yet succeeded because of their faith in God. Similarly, hold on to the faith God has given you. Believe in Him. Lay aside anything that is hindering your race. Fight! Set your eyes on the goal so that you can run with endurance. Don’t be distracted by anything.
This verse is an appropriate verse for the present times. Our nation is making one godless choice after another. We grieve at the abominations done all around us. That can drag us down. Additionally, while we are in the grip of some of the coldest air we’ve seen in many, many years, Australia is experiencing record heat so that fish are dying in the Darling River and bats are dropping dead from the heat in mid-air. The weather discourages and depresses us. We struggle against it. Then too, so many are battling health issues or end-of-life issues. Whether we’ve lost a family member or close friend or whether we suffer along with those who are battling disease, we feel the weight of the struggle.
We don’t make light of any of the struggles that we endure. But we have to keep our eyes on the goal, the city that God is preparing for us. And we have a great cloud of witnesses who also endured destitution, affliction, and persecution. We take heart that God is and that He’s the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) and that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
We have a race to run. We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We can’t grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 12:3). We must endure, persevere and overcome to the end.
Go with God.
Satan’s Tactics
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from family values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ.
“If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time so they can’t gain that experience in Jesus Christ.
“This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day.”
“How shall we do this?” shouted the evil angels.
“Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work and the husbands to work six or seven days a week, ten to twelve hours a day,
so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.
“Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to keep the TV, the DVD, and their CDs going constantly in their homes. Tempt them to spend more time on their computers, especially watching internet pornography.
“Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news twenty-four hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services, and false hopes.
“When they meet for fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions. Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength.” (Source: Open Doors)
"Look around and be distressed, look within and be depressed, look at Jesus and be at rest. When we look at Him we are victorious.” - Corrie Ten Boom
Yes, There Is Good News
by Bill Rollins
Usually on the first Sunday of each month, I have the blessing of conducting worship services at the Salem Lutheran Home Chapel. Nearly two and a half years ago, I gave a message that is as relevant now as it was then. It was an important message, and one filled with hope, joy, and good news. Let me try to express it here in writing.
After singing the hymn, “Near to the Heart of God,” with the residents, I mentioned that the author, Cleland McAfee, penned this beautiful song after hearing that his two nieces had just died from diphtheria in 1901. Mr. McAfee, with a deeply grieving heart, retreated to the comforting words of the scripture and to God. He said that he felt the words and music flow from his grieving heart and that on the day of the double funeral, he stood outside the quarantined home of his brother and sang the words as he choked back tears.
“There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God ...” Have you ever desired to truly draw near to the heart of God? Have you ever needed a place of quiet rest in your life when things seem to be in turmoil all around you? Does the world ever bring heartaches, trials and troubles to your door? In John 16:33, Jesus says, “... take heart, I have overcome the world.” Jesus promises us peace. In the third stanza of the song it says, “There is a place of joy and peace, near to the heart of God.”
And what about that quiet rest? In Matthew 11:28 we read, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The chorus of that song says this, “ O Jesus, blessed Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us who wait before thee, near to the heart of God.”
We have talked about the word “heart” in previous articles and so we can apply the definition of the word to the “heart of God.” His heart is who He is! Scripture tells us that God is love - this is His heart. It tells us He is compassionate - this is His heart. It tells us He is Kind - this is His heart.
But we also know that God will not force us to draw near to Him. In Isaiah 40:11, we read, “Behold .. God tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers His lambs in His arms. He carries them close to His heart and He gently leads those with young.” He leads and we must follow! Again, in the gospel of John 10:14, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me ... My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.” What a beautiful statement from our Savior!
The heart of God is a beautiful place to be it; is a comforting place. And as the hymn says, “... a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.” May we learn to follow.
If you live in a pastor’s home, you have the right to remain silent because anything you say or do may be used in a sermon illustration.
"When you say 'There's too much evil in this world', you assume there's 'good'. When you assume there's good, you assume there's such a thing as a 'moral law' on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil. But if you assume a moral law, you must posit a 'Moral-Law Giver', but that's Who you're trying to disprove and not prove. Because if there's no Moral-Law Giver, there's no moral law. If there's no moral law, there's no good. If there's no good, there's no evil. What is your question?"
~Ravi Zacharias
