Day 15

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” — MATTHEW 16:24-25

It’s easy to look back and get nostalgic about the good old days, isn’t it? But in Ecclesiastes 7:10, it says, “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions.” 

The ‘good old days’ of Hebrews 11 were actually the ‘tough old days’ and the tough old days are usually when God does His best work. It’s when we’re exhausted and depleted of our own resources that the sufficiency of Christ is proven over and over again. A friend of mine (deceased now), said a wonderful thing. “You do not know Jesus Christ is all you need until Christ is all you’ve got. It’s then you realize Christ is all you need.” 

Hebrews 11 is considered the classic chapter on faith. The men and women involved were in constant battle. In Chapter 12, the writer says of them, “…since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

This “throwing off of everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” is not something we hear a lot about in preaching these days, because it is the positive we want to hear. Ninety-nine percent of the Gospel is positive; in fact, it’s all positive. But self-denial is every bit a part of the Christian experience as “living in the fullness of God”. Taking up the cross is as much a part of the Christian life as enjoying the resurrected life of Christ.

There is something of value to be learned from every stage of our lives. When we look back on the good old days, did we know then what we know now? Brokenness is often God’s agenda as a prelude to wholeness. Dying with Christ is necessary so that we might live with Him. Too often we want the positives without the negatives; we want the benefits without the obligations, but if we are to run the race marked out for us, we are to embrace both the obligations and the benefits so that our eyes are fixed on Jesus. That’s how we find life!

PRAYER: Forgive me, Lord, for sometimes wanting all the benefits of the Gospel without dying to myself and living for You. Help me to cast off everything that hinders me and all sin that entangles me. I know in all things You are sufficient and what I really want is for my life to bring glory to You. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: What are some things that hinder me in my walk with God? How can I best free myself of them?