servant or son?

At the beginning of Hebrews 3 we see a great comparison of two great men of faith - Moses and Jesus.

The writer shows that both of these highly thought of religious figures were faithful in the house of God.
They were both obedient and faithful. Both are worthy of glory, they are honoured and revered by others. They both conversed with God and had a significant relationship with Him. They both have been essential in building up the household of God through their service and unending faith in God. They both knew who they were, their roles and responsibilities and they recognised the privilege they had in the household. Both Moses and Jesus were all in.

With so much similarity - what actually differentiates these two men?

One is a servant, the other a son. 

Moses knew who he was, he knew he was a servant, and he accepted the role and lived it well. He enjoyed the benefits of the household but realised the limits of his capacity. He served whole-heartedly and enjoyed a close confidential relationship with the master.
Moses was a great precursor to Jesus. He showed as best he could, how to be a part of the household of God. He was faithful and worthy, a honoured member of God’s house, but no matter how great and magnificent a servant he was, he could never own the house or gain the recognition a son does. Moses earned his position through faithful service, obedience and bravery. A servant earns their recognition and authority through acts of service whereas a son is born with it.

The son of God, Jesus, is not only born with authority, but he carries the very DNA of God and shares the same characteristics. The son carries the essence of the father inherently. As the son of the master, he is born to govern and serve and so carries a different authority and standing in the household than a servant.

However this in no way diminishes the role of the servant. A faithful servant is still a revered, loved and trusted servant. It is just that the role and responsibility of a servant and a son differ. Moses could in no way attain the glory of son-hood. Yet, those who trust and believe in Jesus can.

If you know Jesus is the son of God, and you place your life in his hands, as he placed his own life into the hands of the human race, and you know that he died as an innocent man with the weight of your sin on his shoulders, then rose again to prove that he truly is God, and he truly can absolve you of every nasty thing you’ve ever done - if you believe in all of that, then you have the blessed privilege of being in God’s household, not as a servant, but a son.

Are you living in the knowledge that you are no longer a servant but a son?
Do you take seriously the responsibility you have for God's household?
Are you accessing the privilege of access and relationship you are entitled to?

consider Jesus

‘Consider Jesus’….

This is what Hebrews 3:1 says we should do, so, do you?

Do you consider Jesus?
This means to direct your mind towards him. Ponder  him. Think and evaluate the person of Jesus.

What comes into your mind when you do consider him?

Take a few moments today to think about him.

Now, consider Jesus in terms of your life.
What decisions or actions would he be making if he had your life today?

Considering Jesus isn’t just about thinking about the incredible God-man that he is, but about the influence and impact that should have on us daily.

At the moment the world is a pretty scary and uncertain place. But Jesus isn’t. Jesus brings life and hope, he is not scary or uncertain. Are you living with that assurance? Are you demonstrating that hope to those around you? Are you showing through your life that you consider Jesus?

I encourage you today, to consider who Jesus is. Then consider how would he be working out your life? Are there some changes that need to be made? Is there some way you can reach out and be Jesus to someone today?

suffering temptation

‘For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted’
Hebrews 2:18.

Do you often consider that Jesus suffered?
Do you know that eventhough Jesus did not sin, he still underwent the same temptations as us?
The only time we really consider Jesus suffering is when he entered the last days of his Earthly life as he was; beaten, betrayed and crucified.
Yet, if Jesus was a regular human being, don’t you think he suffered in his daily life, like you? Isn’t there more suffering involved in life than death?

The verse above indicates that Jesus underwent the same everyday challenges and temptations that we do. Jesus had a normal human life. He experienced the life of a frustrated toddler, an inquisitive infant, and the terrifying teens! He knows the temptations of each of these stages of life. Jesus was an average Jewish boy, who lived with his parents, in a community, who learnt, played, worked and grew. He had to handle the same difficulties with people and self-control that we do. Jesus had to grow up in this world too. He had to deal with the emotions, hormones, peer pressure, frustrations and misunderstandngs that this life involves. The normal growing up process applied to Jesus. He had similar thoughts and persuasions to do the wrong thing. Jesus also had to overcome the battle in his mind as we do. The temptation to be selfish, popular and fulfilled existed for Jesus too. He was a normal human being. Therefore he had to deal with all the trials, testosterone, and temptations that brings!

This should give us comfort and hope.

Jesus does truly understand our troubles. He knows the power of the devil, who comes along uninvited and often in our weakest moments, to tempt us to sin or forget who we really are. Jesus knows the very real battle we have within ourselves to do what we want verses what God wants. He knows the persuasion to get up to things when no-one is looking or could ever find out. He battled temptation too - the verse above tells us that. Jesus suffered temptation. It was not easy for him either, he struggled with it just like we do. Jesus understands the very real internal war we have each day for:

‘We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need’.
Hebrews 4:15

Jesus can understand and come alongside us in our temptation and troubles because he has gone through the same mental battles, yet, he fought temptation and he was victorious every time. Jesus lived the everyday fight for purity, he battled against his own desires and the torments of the devil just like we do, and he won. He knows what it’s like. He understands the mental anguish, heart-felt prayers, battle of the heart and mind to do what is right. He suffered the agony of denying self to accept God. That’s why we can trust him to help us out.

We don’t have to be embarrassed by our troubles, no matter how secret we have kept them. Jesus knows the torture of the tempted mind. He has lived it too, and he has overcome, so we can trust him with our troubles, our fraught mental processes and anguished hearts. We can know that we have a brother who can lead us out because he lived free from the sin that we can so easily entangle ourselves in. Jesus can relate because he engaged in the same battle ‘in every respect’. He knows the reality of the human temptation. He knows the level of mental strife. He knows the power and pull of temptation. That is why we can confidently approach him with it all. Jesus acknowledges our suffering, he has also lived it and he has a story of victory to share. Today you can, ‘receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ because Jesus has been there. He can sympathise and give you the power to change. The question is - do you want to?

I am not small. You are big

When you’re a child, everything is big.
You know you’re small and weak, you rely on the big people to help you, guide you and keep you safe. The big people are good at it, and so good at so many things that some of these big people become your heroes. They are bigger and better than you, they can run faster, they are stronger, less afraid and more clever. You look up to these giants because you see great capability, skills and fun in them. They can achieve far more than you and you are in wonder. You learn to trust these big people because it is not hard to see that they are more capable and stronger than you, and you love spending time with them. You ask them all sorts of questions and depend on them for real answers. You enjoy their company, their time and make use of the fact that they are greater than you. You can see there is yet much more to learn and experience, and you often want to grow up to be like one of your heroes.

As adults, one of the big people, we smile at the young's admiration and inquisitiveness, we regard it as sweet and cute, but isn't it much more than that really? Is it no wonder that Jesus tells the little children to come to him?! Can you imagine their reception of him? They’d love his stories, they’d be clambering all over him, wanting to follow him and play with him, copy him and ask all sorts of questions, and Jesus encouraged it.
Jesus wanted children around him. There's something more profound in the loving acceptance and enjoyment of children. They recognise things in people that are worth looking up to, they are grateful for the small things, they give everyone a chance and see good in people. These children were captivated by Jesus, they wanted to hang around with him, listen to him and he wowed them! He made time for them and they flocked to him. Is t no wonder Jesus wanted to spend time with the kids?! The children clearly saw something in Jesus that was worth looking up to. They could appreciate Jesus’ significance, their reception of him and perception of who he is was accurate. He is someone worth looking up to, he is captivating and fun to be around. He was a big person. Not just bigger in size, but he capable of so much more, and the children were filled with wonder. They were aware of their smallness, but not afraid to clamber towards someone who's so much bigger.

So, what happens as we grow up? When do we stop feeling small?

I guess it’s when we get older, we get more experience, we see things that once seemed huge and now they are not as big and scary. We lose a sense of wonder and appreciation of the things around us, let alone of God. We find less to appreciate and captivate us about others and we get too busy to concern ourselves with stories and games.
Our vision of who we are increases as we gain more skills and opportunities, we gain a greater awareness of our own capabilities as we now become the big people. We see ourselves as more able and less reliant. We know we are no longer small and maybe joke about our childhood fancies and foolishness. We have grown up. But is that such a good thing? Yes, we have gained responsibilities and abilities and we are no longer small. Sadly, that means our perspective of who we are changes as well as our recognition of others and God. The big things lose their significance with us too. The God who seemed awe-inspiring and wonderful, magnificent and magical wanes in our vision.Our perception of things changes as we grow and that includes our perception of who God is.

We can lose some of the sense of awe, significance and greatness of God. We no longer rely on him for the small things that we are now capable of achieving, but do we really rely on him for much now we are bigger?

Is it no wonder we are told to come to God like children? They have an accurate sense of their own smallness in relation to God, they are enthralled with whatever is bigger, stronger and more capable than them - that doesn’t have to change as we ‘grow up’.

I like this image, because I think this is how we should see ourselves as adults. We are no longer small, but instead of realising how big we are now, God is still enormous! No matter how much we grow, how 'unsmall' we feel, God will always remain big. It is time to recapture some of that childhood wonder. It is time to reflect on the enormity of the God you know. It's time to reflect;
Is your God big?
Is He bigger than your circumstances? Your life?
Is He so big that he captivates your attention?

Maybe you are no longer small, but do you realise that God is still big?!