12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Heb 12:12-13 (NLT)
Coming on the heels of a passage where we've heard about how our sufferings as followers of Jesus - aren't as bad as they could be, should be expected, are nothing compared to what Jesus went through...
...AND ought to be celebrated because they authenticate the fact that God loves us as His own children, the writer tells us what to do. God has done all He promised and will continue to be faithful.
Our job is to make sure we are doing the heart work and character work WE have to do.
Listen, here's the deal. We whine. We complain. We gripe endlessly when the least little trouble shows up. The American church has raised whining to an art form.
And we've turned bitter as a result by not treating trouble as God wants us to do. We've missed the chance to learn from it - learn about God's love and faithfulness and learn about how far along the journey we are. And our bitterness is ruining our witness to people who are far from God. If we're going to treat trouble the same way lost people are, then what difference does following Christ make?
So the verse at the top saysSo (you) take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.13 (You) Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Maybe this is the time to take a look at your personal relationship with Jesus and recognize that each of us is responsible for our own level of intimacy with God. We can change our attitude by focusing on the facts - we are loved by God - He has placed His Spirit within us - we will win, but we have to run the race with endurance - we need to place our attitudes under the Lordship of Christ.
Hebrews has become one of those books that really speak to me. Take a look at it and let God speak to you.
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