Easter Devotional - Day 41

"Don't forget all the hard times you went through when you first received the light. Sometimes you were abused and mistreated by others in public, and at other times you shared in the sufferings of others. You were kind to people in jail. And you gladly let your possessions be taken away, because you knew you had something better, something that would last forever." Hebrews 10:32-34

What do we hold as truly valuable? To the author of Hebrews called for a different perspective from that of our society, even our Christian society, to address value from an eternal perspective.

We are so often trapped by the cares of life. We hear so often the messages all around that worth and value are wrapped in concerns of wealth, popularity, status, entertainment, and wielding power over others. We should enjoy this life to the fullest—eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow is uncertain. Live in the now! That is the message we heard through all our media outlets. Success is measured in one's current circumstance and relationship to others with power, wealth, and social standing.

We find a very different message in this text from Hebrews. Rather than focus on issues of comfort, possessions, prestige, and status, we are to recall how the early Christians placed their emphasis on loving others, being kind to those in jail, and giving up their rights to earthly possessions in lieu of an eternal reward of greater consequence. Rather than concerning themselves with advancement in the here and now, they looked to suffering as the manner of Jesus' example set before us.

If Jesus gave up right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" according to our national understanding of our inalienable rights, why should we be less than willing to life accordingly as his followers and disciples? An eternal perspective may be difficult to maintain or even adopt against the backdrop of so many materialistic messages we receive daily. On the other hand, for so many of the First Century Jews, there was no concept of life in eternity with God. They were living for God's blessings in the moment—the only life they expected to have. These new believers accepted the reality preached by Christ Jesus that there was an eternal reward of much greater consequence for those who were faithful to living according to the gospel of God's grace.

They were not simply being faithful against a materialistic backdrop, but a full denial of the reality of an eternity with God. They lived in contrast with the message of an eternal hope. In that hope, they trusted this new perspective of eternity to carry them through suffering, imprisonment, torture, and the loss of their material possessions. They were ridiculed for holding to such a seemingly impossible hope. It was amid this ridicule, persecution, and suffering, however, that the perspective of a worthy faith found nurture and real growth.

Are we willing to live according to that same take on the gospel and eternity? It would require a fresh evaluation of our priorities, financial commitments, and the application of our time and energy. It would mean a reassessment of what truly matters and the determination to live according to that assessment. It is not necessarily an easy road to travel, yet for us it is so much easier than for those early believers. Then again, perhaps life is otherwise just too comfortable for us.

Determine what would be too high a price for you to pay in regard to the gospel.

"Lord, grant me the clarity to see the issues of life from the perspective of eternity."

—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin

http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/ 
My latest books can be found here on amazon

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