Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. English Standard Version (ESV)
Hebrews 12 comes immediately after the "Hall of Faith" in chapter 11 and the writer now calls for his readers to "consider Jesus" to that they won't grow weary or fainthearted. He says we should consider Jesus and a few short verses later in 13:7 he tells us to consider our leaders. We are to think of how they endured and how they have overcome that we too can be over-comers.
We would all like to be thought of as "considerate" people, being concerned about and taking the needs of others into consideration in our actions. Holding the door open for the handicapped or elderly, perhaps giving your seat up on the bus would be the beginning of this and would extend to most if not all circumstances in our lives. It starts with "considering", being aware of the situation and applying what we have learned to be the right thing to do. None of us would want to be thought of as "inconsiderate".
In this fast paced life many do not take the time to "consider". John Piper writes, "Our emotions are governed in large measure by what we consider — what we dwell on with our minds. For example, Jesus told us to overcome the emotion of anxiety by what we consider: "Consider the ravens . . . Consider the lilies" (Luke 12:24, 27)......The mind is the window of the heart. If we let our minds constantly dwell on the dark, the heart will feel dark. But if we open the window of our mind to the light, the heart will feel the light."
As we read the Bible let us "consider" how Jesus lived and how He calls us to live. Hebrews 11, The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 -7 or the gospel of John are good places to start. Consider His reactions to situations. May they have an impact on how we react to situations, how we respond and how we consider and are "considerate" to others. In doing so seeing Jesus, our leaders, and those others who have gone before us in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11, we should not grow weary or fainthearted in the challenges, but receive "adrenaline" (The Message) for what we'll face today.
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Hebrews 12:1-3The Message (MSG)
Discipline in a Long-Distance Race
12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
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