Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) 2 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
There are many things humans have a hard time with.
Here are a few of them; waiting, discomfort, humiliation, trials.
Many of us get terribly impatient, hate being uncomfortable, are appalled when we are humiliated and despise trials or hard times.
Because of this, we can never see beyond our disdain for them and see the good that can come from many of these types of things in our lives.
This can be a terrible weakness that has major consequences in our lives. But we may never know or recognize those consequences because we don’t even know that they are, in fact, consequences at all.
We just never connect the dots, so to speak.
Let me explain.
Sometimes we have things happen to us that are the result of choices that we have made. Maybe those choices were made in an effort to avoid something uncomfortable.
But, because we have avoided something uncomfortable, we may miss out on a blessing or a reward that God had for us.
And we never know that we missed out on it as a consequence of not wanting to do the uncomfortable, unpopular or difficult thing.
Look at what Jesus did, referenced in the verse above.
First, He looked beyond what was immediately in front of Him in order to see the joy (reward) that was in the distance; pleasing His Father, taking the place of honor at the Father’s right hand.
Second, He endured the cross; the most brutal, agonizing method of capital punishment that Rome had come up with to execute human beings.
Third, He despised (disregarded, pushed aside, ignored) the shame that came with being crucified. This was due to the stigma that was attached to crucifixion. Jews considered it a curse.
Jesus did all of this because He allowed Himself to see beyond the discomfort and inconvenience of the short term in order to reach His goal and consider the long term.
Oh, what we can learn from Him!
Let us also do the same, looking beyond the short-term inconveniences of life, that we might see the blessings on the other side of them.
Maybe, just maybe we will become more resilient, less likely to complain or give up when we face tough situations, and more likely to walk in the blessings that come from pushing through instead of giving up when things get hard.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443
401-439-3780
If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!
To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.
Please consider making a Donation.
Get our mobile app here:
Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7
Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy