WITNESSES AND RUNNING -- Tomorrow:
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." (Heb 12:1-4)
Devotion 10 of 13
" . . . looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith . . . "
Paul stated what is involved in "looking unto Jesus." There is nothing casual about such a vision. "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:8-14, NKJV).
That is something of what is involved in "looking unto Jesus." It involves considering Him, meditating upon Him, and pondering both His Person and His achievements in our behalf. "Looking" is done with the heart, not the eye. It is a look of faith, not of sight. It is related to comprehension, discernment, and spiritual understanding.
Looking to Jesus involves the ascription of superior worth to Him – "the EXCELLENCE of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." Christ Himself is the Object of fervent quest – "that I may GAIN CHRIST and be found in Him." The only way to appropriate righteousness, which is indispensable to Divine acceptance, is through the Lord Jesus – "the righteousness . . . which is THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST." Personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus is therefore sought. This involves participation in His resurrection, suffering, and death – "that I may know Him and the power of HIS RESURRECTION, and the fellowship of HIS SUFFERINGS, being conformed to HIS DEATH." None of these things can be realized independently of "looking unto Jesus." They require a deliberate quest, a sustained vision, and sober contemplation.
These are not simply the aspirations of the Apostle Paul. They are normative in the Kingdom of God, and are expected of everyone who believes. As it is written, "Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you" (Phil 3:5). It is possible to NOT have this perspective, but that condition will not long remain if faith is kept. God "will reveal" this mind-set to those who continue in the faith. Thus Paul writes, "Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, GOD WILL REVEAL EVEN THIS TO YOU" (Phil 3:15). That is, if you live up to what you DO see of Jesus, God will make Him more fully known to you – and when He does, you will have the same fervent quest as Paul.
And why is this so? Because it is not possible to obtain the eternal inheritance without it! No one is going to float downstream to heaven! There is no automatic pilot on the vessel that is carrying us to glory.
LOOK TO THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS!
How is it that Jesus was able to endure the cross? Some novices have suggested it was because of His profound love for us. There certainly is an element of truth in that observation, but it falls far short of Divine affirmation. We have endured too many sentimental views of a suffering Savior – views that are distorted and tend to hide the truth from us. It is time to throw juvenile views of the Christ in the theological garbage can. They are a reproach to the Savior and an unspeakable handicap to "Christians."
The Holy Spirit tells us precisely how Jesus was able to the curse of the Almighty. It was "FOR THE JOY set before Him." His eye was set toward the future. God has promised Him the heathen for His "inheritance" (Psa 2:8). He knew the Father would not allow His body to be left in the grave, nor soul to be retained in hades (Psa 26:10; Acts 2:27). The shame of this ignominious death was nothing to compare with the glory He was to experience! The unspeakable "shame" of the cross was "endured" in prospect of the future – THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM. His exaltation to the right hand of God proves the effectiveness of setting your affection on the coming joy the Lord has promised!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me to have a proper view of the Savior, and then to make that view my all-consuming quest.