Don’t Grow Weary or Lose Heart - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 19
Don’t Grow Weary or Lose Heart
By Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” - Hebrews 12:3
About a year ago, my family and I watched a series called “Torchlighters.” For each episode, they would tell the story of someone who died for their faith in Christ. Most of the time, these individuals were missionaries; however, some were persecuted in their own hometowns. After each episode, I was convicted by their amazing faith. They knew they were going to be persecuted for their faith and even killed, yet they continued serving the Lord.
Not many of us are physically persecuted for our faith if we live in America; however, many of us are looked down upon or made fun of because of our faith in Jesus. Sometimes these individuals can take it further and cause problems for us at school or in the workplace. Sadly, this is to be expected. As Christians, the world will hate us. The Lord already warned us of this truth (John 15:18).
It can be hard to face this reality, yet it is something we have to do. Being opposed by the world will continue throughout our lives, but we must be strong in the Lord. If we are blessed enough to live somewhere we have religious freedom, we need to take advantage of this opportunity and share our faith freely. Even though schools and the workforce might oppose us, we still have the freedom to share what we believe.
Similar to how a Muslim or a Buddhist could share his or her faith with others, we can share our faith too. As Christians, we need to take hold of this opportunity and truly start living out our faith. There are Christians throughout the world who are dying for their faith in Jesus. They are not tap dancing around whether someone would like them or not after they share the Gospel. Instead, they are boldly sharing the Gospel because of their love for the Lord.
Rather than continuing to be afraid of someone making fun of us or belittling us, we need to start being bold in sharing the Gospel. Jesus knows what it feels like to be mistreated and hurt, yet we often don't turn to Him when we are suffering for our faith. Sometimes, we even blame Him for our pain or hurt. Jesus is not the one to blame, and we don't need to accuse Him of doing wrong.
Jesus is our Savior and Lord. He surrounds us with His comfort, protection, and hope. Whenever others persecute us in any form, we need to run to Him instead of running away from Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Hebrews 12:3 tells us, “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” As the writer of Hebrews says, we need to consider the Lord, who ensured much opposition from sinners in order for us not to grow weary or lose heart. Being persecuted for our faith can wear us out, but we don't need to lose heart. We can look to Jesus and rest in the comfort that He has experienced the same things as us.
Jesus knows our pain. He knows exactly how we are feeling, and He wants to surround us with His love, peace, and comfort. Whenever we are faced with mean words or comments about our faith, we need to look to Him. Similar to how Jesus remains calm and peaceful, so do we. By thinking of Him during these times, we will not grow weary or lose heart.
“Dear Jesus, whenever people are mean to me for my faith, I feel weary and I lose heart. Please help me to be strong in You. I'm choosing today to look at You when things are hard and to remember that You endured much hardship from people too. I give You all the praise, Amen.”
Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? What did this look like? How can you stand confidently in the face of opposition? How can you find comfort in Jesus, knowing that He understands your pain?
Further Reading:
Hebrews 4:15
Matthew 11:28-30
Galatians 6:9-10
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes
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