Reflections
I’ve always had a special love for Hebrews 12:1–3,
”… let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,
who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.”
What does that mean? What’s the race set before us? How do we look to and consider Jesus? If I spend time looking at Jesus, what should I expect will happen to me? What if I want to be His follower but don’t run this race?
If we don’t put in the time looking at Jesus, it’s easy to invent a Jesus that reflects what we want him to be. I’ve learned the invented Jesus tends to make very few demands on us. As a matter of fact He tends to excuse us from doing anything other than being a recipient of his blessings. But is that really Discipleship?
If a disciple is someone who follows a leader and I invent a Jesus to reflect what I want him to be, it seems to me I am a disciple of myself. Shouldn’t I be the one that reflects Jesus if I set out to be His disciple and follow him as my Lord?
The more time I spend looking at Jesus, the deeper my yearning to reflect Jesus in my thoughts and actions. But I want to be re-made in His image, not refashion Him in my image. But practically speaking, how does that happen?
One of the most important ways we can look to Jesus is to spend time prayerfully reading and reflecting on the Living Jesus we meet in the Bible. The New Testament is such a gift! It’s 27 books written by different authors who all have something in common. Each book is a unique reflection on Jesus that the Holy Spirit wants us to look at. What a blessing!
If we only had one book written by one author, we’d only have a one dimensional picture of Jesus. But when we look at all the portraits of Jesus within the New Testament, we experience a multi-dimensional reflection of The Living Christ who invites us to follow. But buyer beware, this Jesus demands his followers reflect him in every aspect of our lives. But the race of Hebrews 12 sparks a yearning to reflect him that ultimately becomes the driving passion of your life.
We are going to begin a new series this week, Reflections: Looking to Jesus. Over the next few weeks we will journey through seven reflections of Jesus from seven books of the New Testament. Our goal will be from Hebrews 12. To run the race of looking to the Jesus we find in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Colossians, Hebrews and Revelation and consider Him. We will discover each book has a unique reflection of the truth of God in Christ whom we seek to follow. Our prayer will be that through the race we become living Epistles who more clearly reflect Jesus to the world.
In Christ, your pastor,
Bryan White