the sanctity of suffering

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

1 Peter 4:1-2

Suffering is a precious and holy work of God meant to make me more like Jesus. Truthfully, I seldom if ever see it in that light, to my shame. I live in a culture that is uneasy with suffering and seeks to numb all pain. We have numerous appealing temptations to seek to circumvent the noble purposes God may have in suffering. Yet the sufferings of Christ were the best gift to grace our planet. God’s work through the Suffering Servant has saved the world.

Peter calls believers to a proper faith in God that correctly interprets suffering as His means to help us in holiness. He calls us to this attitude in our suffering: a higher view of suffering sees it as a beautiful part of God’s work in us that saves us from missing the sanctity of suffering and calls us into living more like Jesus in the world. It pulls us above the crushing weight of our experience in suffering and saves us from sinking in a sinful response... beyond self, we look to our Saviour Whose suffering saves us and Whom God raised up from the death forever to reign over us! Yet He still is known by His scars. In Christ God loves us. We can endure because Jesus has endured. We will be forever free with Him so that no suffering right now is beyond our ability to trust.

O God,

There is a gracious purpose in all You do in my life. May even my pains fix my thoughts on Your love known in Christ my Redeemer!

Amen

healed forever

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

1 Peter 2:24

The cross is the only thing that can heal my wounded soul. Jesus died for me. He bore my sins on the cross that I might be forgiven. And in that death, I must die to sin and now live to righteousness. I am only free to live differently because of what my Savior has done for me. He is my hero... forever. He is my healer... forever. He is my commander... always. He is my worship... my eternal God.

What Jesus willingly suffered for all people in bearing our sins on the cross cannot be overstated. It deals with ALL human suffering. God chose to send His Son into the world to bear the punishment of death for sin so we could be forgiven. He bore that for every little sin of every human... ever. This is immense, eternal love! And Christians will be worshiping Jesus forever because that is the scope of His love for us. His wounds heal us for eternity!

Lord Jesus,

You have healed me forever. Like generations of believers before me, I trust in You. I worship You. I find my peace in You. I never grow tired of my salvation, and I will sing of Your love forever... gladly!

Amen

generous like Jesus

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Hebrews 13:16

Do Christians have the reputation in their community of being people who do great good and give to others in a sacrificial way? Are we generous people, or are we known as insulated people who only give to our own causes? The exhortation here at the end of Hebrews is put in the middle of a list of calls to live like Jesus is better to us than all other things. People who know Jesus is better will live in a noticeably committed way. They will have the reputation of Jesus, Who did good, was extremely generous, and sacrificed for others.

It is the Christmas season, a time in which charities appeal for end of the year gifts. They count on this to survive and do their work. As a financial developer for a non-profit myself, I know that typically we will receive our largest gifts and our best season of giving in December. And I am very thankful that this occurs every year. It is brought about by necessary responses to a lot of factors, including taxation and the deductibility of charitable gifts. People who own their own business have to make these moves at the end of the year. I get it.

My point is certainly NOT to complain about it, but instead to check my own heart. I want to be a generous person, not because of tax breaks, but simply because Jesus is always generous. I have a lot of room still to grow in generosity. But my prayer is to be diligent to do good and to sacrificially share the blessings that God gives to me all year long. The goal is to live like Jesus is better than anything... because He is... even better than my money!

Jesus is better.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:11-12

Jesus is better. That is the theme over and over in Hebrews. In this context, He is the better high priest Who secures a better (in fact the best) redemption for our sins. No longer does a priest repeatedly need to offer an endless stream of animal sacrifices entering the holy place. Jesus has done it once for all by His blood... forever. This is definitely better.

“In all my sorrows, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.

In all my victories, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.

Than any comfort, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.

More than all riches, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.

Our souls declaring, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.

Our song eternal, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.

Glory, glory, we have no other king but Jesus Lord of all!”

Aaron Ivey & Brett Land

Austin Stone Worship, 2013

perfect guarantee

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.

Hebrews 7:22-24

Under the old covenant of the Law, the priests served as the mediating “go between” so that humanity’s sin could be atoned. The priests offered sacrifices that atoned for the sin of God’s covenant people, the Jews, and kept things right between sinnners and a holy God. But the priests themselves were afflicted by sin and its curse, death. So there were many because they died. In this way, it still “felt” like sin had the upper hand.

But not so now because Jesus Who lives forever as the One Who guarantees a better, new covenant now before God, has made it all much better. The covenant isn’t just restricted to one ethnic group, but now extends to all people. His death has forever been the perfect sacrifice. His priesthood is now the better, perfect atonement for all sin. The ability for us to know forgiveness, and to come before a holy God is permanently secured by Jesus and not dependent on daily work of men who are themselves under the same curse of sin. It is all so much better! Because we have Jesus and by faith trust in Him, we have freedom to love and worship God. It is beautiful... forever!

Thank You, Jesus, for being the perfector guarantor of a new freedom in relationship to God. I am forgiven... always. I am free... into eternity. I am forever made new in You! Amen

The sweetness of suffering

Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

Hebrews 5:8

Suffering had a certain positive effect on Jesus. Suffering then is not just the result of wrong in this world, because Jesus was sinless and did no wrong. Jesus never did anything that brought the consequence of suffering as a deserved correction. But He did learn obedience through what He suffered. And I’m not sure we can fully appreciate the magnitude of exactly what that means for the Son of God to learn obedience through suffering.

I think the easiest way we can begin to see this in Jesus is when the gospels give us the accounts of His desert temptation (see Matthew 4 and Luke 4). There we see Him do battle with the biggest temptations Satan could offer Him. Things so big and glorious in our eyes that we would succumb to them in an instant I’m afraid. And Jesus obeyed the Father through the strength of God’s Word without fail in every temptation. He suffered there in the wilderness as He fasted 40 days in preparation for His ministry. And He obeyed when He found scriptural resolve in refusing the devil’s allurements. We get a sense of the extreme magnitude of the battle Jesus won through obedience when we see that “the angels ministered to Him” at the close of the temptation. This was epic suffering and an epic win.

If Jesus learned to obey God in suffering, especially in temptation, how much more should I look for the positive growth opportunities in my difficulties and hardships? If life was hard for Jesus, should I expect any better as His disciple? Suffering then can be a sweet moment to grow and to change. A lifetime of suffering can lead me closer to the heart of my Lord. Suffering helps (and does not hinder) Christians to be like Jesus.

The greatness of my King

But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,

the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

Hebrews 1:8-9

We are about a week late with Christmas decorating, but last night started our family celebrations with the placing of our Christmas tree. Celebrating the gift of Jesus is always a high point of the year. Reading Hebrews now as we begin it is even better. This baby in the manger is the Son Who is superior... Lord of all!

The book of Hebrews shows us that the king born in Bethlehem is forever and always has been God, ruling from an eternal throne with justice, fairness, and all uprightness. Jesus loves righteousness, hates wickedness, and is anointed by God the Father beyond any other power or authority. He is God, anointed by God, to rule over us gladly in perfect peace. What a gift!

Jesus, You are great. You are worthy, always, of my worship and praise. I bow to You, my King, and will live forever under Your rule! Amen