With Strength and Confidence

Hebrews 12:12-14 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. 14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
 
FIX your eyes on Jesus. Know the Lord disciplines those he loves. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and knees. The Christian Jews would know that their teacher is once more pointing them to the Old Testament: Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”
   Isaiah spoke to a people in distress as they watched unbelief and idolatry destroy Judah’s relationship with God. The faithful Jews were a remnant, a small number of believers who were often threatened and mocked for their faith in Yahweh. Feeble hands means those who are depressed. Those with weak knees were terrified. Isaiah preached God’s power and urged the faithful to have a confident, strong faith. God will protect and save his people. God will destroy his people’s enemies.
   In a like manner, Hebrews wrote to a church surrounded with idolatrous, unbelieving people. The Christians were fixing their eyes too much on the opposition and too little on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2b). But God has spoken through the ages. Set your eyes, ears, heart and mind on God’s power.   
   To fix our eyes on Jesus is not about sitting and staring at him; it’s about seeing his resurrection power strengthen and change your life. You know your Lord is risen victorious over the cross and the grave. Why should we allow the world’s ways to depress and to terrify us? When we know he is preparing a place for us in heaven, and he is coming again to take us into that place, how can anything weaken us? After all, we have a command from the Commander to make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy. This must be our commitment. To be at peace with others requires God’s wisdom, so we can strive to be holy as the Lord is holy. Our every effort is to work toward God because Jesus has saved us from our sins. If you want people to know Jesus, you must work with strength and confidence toward holy living. For without holiness no one will see the Lord. Your task is to speak with an attitude of love and humility, to forgive those who sin against you and to live under Jesus’ commands.  
   Be different than the world. Be as Jesus. He is Strength. He is the Victor. He is Lord.