Stay on Mission – 25th February 2018

1. Fix your eyes!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 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. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrew2 12:1-3
Running with perseverance is vital if we are going to join Jesus in His Mission. It will not always be easy because when we follow Jesus we will often find that this doesn’t make us popular among people. Jesus said to His first disciples: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18)
This ‘hatred’ can be expressed in a variety of ways that do not necessarily result in the kind of life-threatening persecution that was being faced by the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews. However, whilst not life-threatening, the resistance that we may face as we share our beliefs causes many of us to say nothing because we are afraid of what others will say if we open our mouths.
To those people who are tempted to ‘hide’ and ‘stay safe’ the writer to the Hebrews says: fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith’. Following Jesus is not just about ‘running’, it is vital to focus on who it is that we are running for. Our focus should be on Jesus, the ‘pioneer’ and ‘perfecter’ of our faith. Jesus is the one who did EVERYTHING required for us to receive the gift of eternal life, the one who was ‘despised and rejected by men’ (Isaiah 53:3), who ‘made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-8).
‘Fix your eyes upon Jesus’ is the clear instruction and note that it does not say ‘occasionally glance in the direction of Jesus’ but FIX THEM ON HIM. Making Jesus our focus is something that requires daily discipline and a willingness to spend time in the word and in prayer.
Let me encourage you to consider these questions as you begin a new week:
• Have you lost sight of the one who us calling you to follow?
• Are you trying to ‘run for Jesus’ in your own strength?
If you are drifting and feeling weary with the effort then I encourage you, right now, to take some time to speak with Jesus. Open your heart to Him and make Him your focus!
Dennis