Hebrews 12 - "We Won't Be Shaken"

The Lord took me to Hebrews 12 this morning which is one I love to read for encouragement to keep on keepin' on no matter what my circumstances. This morning He gave me a different word picture as I read it in different translations. He showed me how I need to be an encourager to others going through tough times. I'm not in this race alone but rather with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. We all have hurdles we face just as a runner does. There are times the 'baton' will be dropped just as with relay runners. Sometimes the finish line seems impossible to reach yet with encouragement it is possible. There are times we want to quit yet if we want to win the race we must stay focused on the prize. The same can be said for life. If we want to have eternal life with our Heavenly Father, we must stay focused on Him. We must accept the encouragement from those He puts in our path. In the beginning of Hebrews 12 Paul writes about how discipline must be a part of our life if we expect to finish strong. In The Message he likens it to a long-distance runner. They train to finish strong. There is one part that speaks of God's discipline as being how He educates us. It reads, "God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out." Just as a runner has things to overcome to win their race we have circumstances, people, etc. to overcome to win the race to eternal life. The enemy will try to trip us up but we must stand firm in our faith to finish strong. Verses fourteen through seventeen hit me hard this morning. This is something people don't even realize they are doing at times yet God desires all of us to get along. Sometimes people make it very difficult for this to be accomplished but we can never give up. There are times we have to walk away from situations so we don't do or say something not of Him but we must never walk away from Him. He is where we will find the strength needed, especially as we deal with difficult people and circumstances.

I love the last two verses of Hebrews 12. In The Message it reads:

Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for all that You do for me! Thank You for providing "an unshakable kingdom" for me to thrive in! Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace that enables me to be who You desire me to be! Thank You for never giving up on me! Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day so people will see/hear You through me. Father, my heart breaks for some people who are going through difficult times. Some physically, some with relationships, some emotionally. I pray they will feel Your strength today in a mighty way. I pray for Doc as he deals with extreme pain today and working. May You give him relief. I pray for Janet who is having surgery. May You guide the surgeon's hands. Lord, guide me today to not be lazy. Thank You Jesus for being My Fire! Amen.