"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong." - Hebrews 12:12-13
A few thoughts on this great passage from Hebrews. The beginning of this chapter encourages the reader to consider the example of Christ, who pressed on and finished the task of laying down His life, even though it was hard. He endured all the pain and suffering that it encompassed and completed His journey.
This verse encourages us to take a firm grip with tired, sore, blistered, aching hands. To strengthen or stand up on our weak, hurting, swollen, spent knees. To pull ourselves up and "soldier on." Nothing changes about our physical condition, yet everything changes about our resolve. In the midst of the hard things we experience in life, the challenging areas, the difficult places, the overwhelming seasons of life, we hear the voice coming from the corner, "Get up...get up...keep going...keep going!!" Never quit. Never give up. Never give in.
And as we do that, we need to set a course, to mark out a straight path, to walk in the right way.
Why?
Because we need to lead the charge. Though we are tired and beaten, we cannot stop leading. Others are coming behind us. And they will experience fatigue and failure. When they do, they will be able to look to you and see you pressing on. As we follow Christ's example, others will follow ours. So, when we set a straight path for our own life, those who come behind us who are weak and lame will not fall, but will themselves take a new grip and get up on those tired knees and finish their journey.
Are you tired? Do you feel weak? Get up...I know you can do it. Keep on. It matters.
That'll preach, Dan! Good thoughts and I really need to take another look at that verse now :) I liked the way you put that "nothing changes about our physical condition, yet everything changes about our resolve" ... well said! It always seems to come back to our reaction and our attitude toward whatever situation we're in! Thanks for sharing a good word!
ReplyDeleteI happened to come across your blog..it's a good read. I have always wondered one thing though about the Xtian fiath,..most contemporary philosophers, and I would have to agree with them...find the crucifixion of Jesus to be a distasteful story, especially when you say it is an example of divine forgiveness. Forgiveness, by definition entails simply overlooking an offense that is made against you. You don't expect an apology. You don't demand payment for the grievance that was committed. You just let it go without expecting anything in return. Clearly, that's not what happens in the crucifixion story. God demands a blood sacrifice in the form of Jesus (who happens to be 1/3 himself, strangely enough). That's an act of divine retribution (i.e. requiring somekind of payment to appease you of something)..not forgiveness (which would have required nothing except god dismissing what was supposedly done to him). Can you shed some light on this question for me?
ReplyDeleteI will gladly share what I think...though I can't guarantee it to be anything more than my understanding of how God works (so take it for what it is worth :)
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of forgiveness looks like this: Let's say I do something wrong to someone, maybe I hit them out of anger. What I have done is harmful to them. As much as I would like to un-punch them, I can't. So, I owe them retribution...often intangible. What forgiveness looks like is the offended person telling me, "You don't owe me anymore." Because essentially, when I sin, I owe. Forgiveness says, you don't owe me anymore...maybe emotionally, physically, or any other way we want to repay our debt.
So, in essence, every wrong thing we have done, are doing, and will do serve as wrongs against God. So I definitely owe big time because I say and do things I shouldn't. Often. What Jesus did by dying in our place was sacrifice Himself once, for all-time, so that you and I and everyone else don't have to owe anymore.
As for why God chose to do it this way rather than just saying "Poof, you don't owe anymore" is definitely a good question. I don't know. But here are some thoughts I have as to why He did it this way:
1. No forgiveness is free. If someone commits an offense against you, you said forgiveness doesn't demand payment...it just let's it go. But in reality, you ARE paying for it. If someone steals from you, and you forgive them, you accept the loss as your own and tell them they don't have to pay back. But you still paid for it. Right? To assume forgiveness is free reduces it to a meaningless statement, not a true release from consequence. The consequence of sin in our life results in separation from God. True forgiveness allows us to know God, because our sin is wiped away and paid for. So in order to for us to not owe anymore, someone had to pay the price. So no forgiveness comes without a cost.
2. It is all about love. God loved us so much that He was willing to do whatever it took to pay our debt. He paid for our failures. Why? Because He really does love you and wants to know you. So He will do whatever it takes to give you that opportunity.
It really boils down to how you define forgiveness and what it's purpose is. If it is just simply overlooking an offense then God seriously overreacted. If it involves truly releasing someone from the debt they owe, then a cost is involved and Jesus' willingness to pay it for us is truly the greatest act of love. Ever.
Feel free to reply or follow up.
-dan