Yesterday I heard a radio preacher say that whenever anyone sees the face of God, nothing else can make them afraid. David could face Goliath without fear for he had seen the face of God.
This morning, I read this from John Piper’s book, Future Grace: “When something drops into your life that seems to threaten your future, remember this: the first shockwaves of the bomb are not sin. The real danger is yielding to them. Giving in. Putting up no spiritual fight. And the root of that surrender is unbelief—a failure to fight for faith in future grace. A failure to cherish all that God promises to be for us in Jesus.”
In the past week, I’ve had a threat to my future. Thoughts jump around inside my head, thoughts of heart failure in various forms or becoming weak and too frail to function normally. I’m not ready for this. Even though I’m not filled with panic and feel more thoughtful than anxious, God seems to know that I need to hear from Him.. Today’s reading clearly speaks to me about the attitude He wants me to have.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)
The focus in the reading is on “despising the shame” which is, to me, a peculiar phrase. It means that Jesus gave no thought to, and even looked down on the idea of being put to death in a horrible manner. To Him, the future glory with its eternal joy was such a great reality that whatever happened to Him in this present world meant nothing. He could shrug it off and remain with great perseverance under the trial of dying.
Stories of martyred missionaries come to mind. In the past year, I’ve read at least a dozen of them. Some were tortured, beheaded, burned, yet in each story, these faithful Christians “despised the shame” of what was happening to them. Some died with praise to God on their lips.
I feel ashamed of my little faith. My situation is a mere (and even mild) threat compared to the incredible example of Jesus under a far more severe reality. Growing old and facing death for me is nothing like the way He suffered, nor can it be compared to the way those missionaries suffered, yet His attitude came out in their lives and sustained them in a marvelous way.
No one wants to suffer with prolonged illness or die before a “ripe old age” yet know this is not for me to determine. My “race is set before me” on a course that God decides; my part is to run it with endurance, with the vision of Jesus before me. Because of Him, I have the hope of great joy for all eternity and that hope can allow me to also despise the shame of whatever happens here.
Lord, I thought I had a good attitude before I read this, but You make me realize that I’ve only a small idea of what it means to “despise the shame” of running a race that I cannot control. I’m also not thinking about the joy set before me as much as I should. I know what it lies ahead at the end of my run, but my focus has not been like Your focus. I confess being weighted down with negative attitudes, sinful fears and eyes that are looking at all sorts of things beside You. Forgive me for letting these things rob me of the joy You have set before me and help me keep my eyes on You.
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