Immediate Cost, Unimaginable Peace

Read: Hebrews 1

"And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power." Hebrews 1:3

Examine:

The author and the audience of the book of Hebrews is subject to debate, but the theme is quite clear. These readers had reached a point where they were being tempted to return to their former ways of worshipping God. There was something safe and predictable in their old life and they wanted to go back. Following after Christ was a really hard commitment for them and the cost was taking its toll. The writer of Hebrews slows things down and carries this group of people back to the begging of their faith in Christ and walks them through what they believe and why they believe it. He started with a reminder of who Jesus is.

Apply:

I think that every move I make towards God starts out with a selfish motive. Something in my life is broken, I can't fix it, so I turn to God. This is not sinful; it is natural. God normally creates or allows discomfort in my life because it presses me to change and grow. But then the strangest thing normally happens. God does not simply take the pain away and make my life all better. Normally, He starts me on a journey in a new direction and that new direction typically costs me something and very often flips my life upside down. When this happens there are really on two reactions I can have.

First, I can get frustrated and turn back to my old ways. This has been defined in today's world as backsliding. I turn to God, things get more difficult or do not change, and I then back down and start to look for comfort elsewhere. This has happened many times in my past and will likely happen many times in the days to come. Sometimes backsliding last only for a few days. Sometimes it can stretch into months. Other times it can last years.

The second reaction I can have to God raising the stakes is I can press into Jesus. Jesus said that those who want to save their life must lose it. When I put this verse into practice it means I will normally experience a sense of loss before I find life. It means that there is a cost to my discipleship and I have to be willing to pay it. If my view of Jesus is not real or strong enough there is no way I will every endure to the end. That is the power of this verse. All that was in Jesus is made available to me through the power of the Holy Spirit. The radiance of God's glory, His exact nature, and the power of His Word all stand on the other side of me saying yes to God.

Pray:

Yes. Those three letters are the most powerful words in the vocabulary of a follower of Christ. The history of the church has been carried on the backs of men and women who have given You their yes. There is nothing else I can bring to Your table other than my unconditional yes to what You desire for my life.

You have it. I blindly give it to You and ask that You continue to lead me in my journey back home to You. I want my life to reflect the radiance of Your glory. Please do not let me settle to just live by my rules. I want my life to reflect something of You that is of worth to the world around me. I want Your character to the be very fiber of my being. Please help me to release the things of my flesh and pursue nothing short of Your character. I want my life to be measured in terms of Your power. Please do not allow my perceptions of what is possible to hinder Your working in my life.

Backsliding provides temporary relief but ends in deeper pain. Turning to Jesus leads to an immediate cost but ends in unimaginable peace. I pray against my tendency to seek instant gratification and pray for the strength and wisdom to pursue greater things.