We are Not of Those Who Shrink Back to Destruction
“But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:39 (NASB 95)
As I read Hebrews 10:39, it immediately brought to mind the Titanic disaster. The ship was deemed unsinkable. Yet it became one of the worst maritime disasters ever recorded.
Everyone had firm trust in Titanic’s construction and its ability to withstand any storm or challenge. The engineering was cutting edge, the materials of excellent quality, and the craftsmanship unmatched. People boarded the ship with solid confidence in its ability to deliver them safely to New York City.
Such was the strong faith in the ship that even though they encountered a field of icebergs in the North Atlantic, the captain didn’t slow their pace because he and those who designed the ship wanted to achieve the fastest Atlantic crossing in the unsinkable Titanic. That was, until they struck an iceberg and the ship began to sink.
Still, in the midst of the pending disaster, there were those who balked at getting into a lifeboat. It wasn’t comfortable. It was cold, they might get wet. They wanted to stay with their family. They trusted the ship- it was unsinkable, right? They had plenty of time, or so they thought. Isn’t this so like those who balk at the gospel of Christ?
We delay making things right with God because we’re not ready. We look for other, ‘easier’ options- just one way to God seems too restrictive and even unkind. We search for things WE can do to make ourselves righteous and to earn salvation because surely it has to be our own effort. Yet, all of these things still lead to destruction.
Those who eagerly climbed into the lifeboats on that dark, frigid night were those who saw their desperate need to be saved. They understood the ship was going down and their only hope was to put on a life preserver and climb aboard one of the lifeboats, bringing nothing with them but their life and breath. They didn’t shrink back. They didn’t debate the timeline, wondering how long they could remain on the ship before climbing onto a lifeboat. They understood the desperation and urgency and they took the only option that would save them. They did not shrink back. The Greek word for ‘shrink back’ is hypostole and it means to withdraw, to be timid and retreat (1). There were only two options available- remain on the ship and lose your life or get into the lifeboat and be saved.
We face those same two options, spiritually. We can either remain tethered to this world, seeking our own way and cementing our eternal destruction, or we can turn to Jesus, the One who died to pay for our sin, who was buried and rose again to affirm His Authority and Lordship. The One to Whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess. He is our Savior, our assurance, our hope for eternal life. Jesus is the only option that will save us from sure destruction of our soul.
Some will say, I’ll make things right with Jesus before I die, but I have time yet before I must. So many on the Titanic thought they had time as well, some continued playing card games, some went back to bed. But all the while, the ship was sinking and they were running out of time. They were destined for destruction and could not see it.
Some were hesitant to part with their belongings. Many of those on board were wealthy beyond comprehension. They traveled with jewelry, furs, priceless paintings purchased in Europe, and motorcars parked in the cargo hold. Nothing of value could be saved. Only life. But in the end, is that not the most valuable thing one possesses? Yet, their tethers to their ‘things’ were strong, so strong that it prevented some from being saved.
There was only one way off of the Titanic. The truth, whether the travelers wanted to believe it or not, was that the ship was sinking and the lifeboats were the only salvation. Calls of “SOS- save our ship!” went unheeded. Life was only saved by climbing into the boat. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV) There is no other way to God. There is no other avenue to ensure the eternal peace and salvation of your soul. The Truth is that Jesus saves. No other. Not Buddha. Not Allah. Not Hinduism or any other system of belief and practice. Jesus is the only God who gave His life for men so they could be saved. Every other religious system asks for a man to give his life for the god…and even then there is no guarantee, no assurance. Did you do enough? Did you sacrifice enough? Did you suffer enough? There is no soul rest with any but Jesus.
“Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”” Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB 95)
Far too many people are trying to construct their own lifeboat. They’re working to create their own road to heaven, their own plan of redemption, and their own checklist of accomplishments and ‘good things’ that would certify their status as acceptable to God. But there is already a way, a lifeboat already exists. Jesus paid the price for our sin so we would not have to endure eternal separation from God because of our sinful condition. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God looks on us and sees Jesus. His sacrifice bought our freedom. His death was our life preserver.
So, how do you get into the lifeboat with Jesus? Oh, friends, it’s easier than you would imagine. There is no work to be done. It is simply confessing with your mouth that you believe Jesus is Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Reach out and take His hand. Let Him bring you into His kingdom. Let Him be your Lord and Master. He already did the work. You just need to believe. Trust Him and obey.
Is your son or daughter pursuing redemption through the world? Are they building their own lifeboat that will never withstand the storms of life? We need the power of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction, to remove the veil that blinds them to the Truth, and to move their hearts to want to embrace Jesus as Lord. Pray for that today.
Maybe a parent is resistant or defiant, consumed with doing things as they’ve always been done, honoring ancestors, traditions, and working their way to redemption. Pray that the Holy Spirit would overshadow all of these chains and obstacles that keep them entangled to the lies of the enemy. Pray that He would open their eyes to the Truth of the gospel and bring a change in their heart that would empower them to embrace salvation in Jesus.
Perhaps it’s a friend or co-worker, someone for whom you care deeply but whose life is hostage to things that keep them from true freedom in Christ. They are pursuing success, and climbing the ladder to the ‘next thing’ they hope will bring happiness and purpose. They are entangled in politics and arguments, trusting that being ‘right’ will ensure their survival. The Holy Spirit is powerful to break the addictions and silence the distractions. and voices that dissent. Pray that the Lord would intervene and show them true freedom in Christ.
Our prayers are powerful and effective. Sometimes we think that ‘just praying’ is a weak response, but friends, when we pray, we unlock a spiritual realm that is beyond our ability to see with our eyes and we engage power in God that will crush the enemy. Praying is the best thing we can do. We have the Almighty on our side- who better to fight the spiritual battle? Who better to man the lifeboat? Today, let’s pray that those we love are in the lifeboat and know for certainty that they have faith in Christ to preserve the soul.
“Oh Lord, our great God and Father, You are mighty to save. You made a way for us to be delivered from this dying world and from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus, You are our wonderful Savior who, because You love us so, took the punishment and shame that would be ours. You endured it so we would not have to. My heart is heavy for (name). They need to know You, Lord. They need Your salvation and deliverance from all the lies and distractions that keep them from Jesus. Holy Spirit, I pray that You would fall upon (name) today. Overwhelm them with Your love. Bring conviction over sin. Stir a sorrow in their heart that only You can soothe. I pray that (name) would surrender their heart and life to You, Lord. Give them a hope that is eternal and a faith that is sure. Help them not to look to those things they can see, but to see with their heart those things that are unseen yet certain. Lord, give them faith to believe and courage to continue. Don’t let them shrink back to destruction but give them mighty faith in Jesus that will preserve their soul. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
Pray without ceasing, friends. God is still and always working!
G5289 - hypostolē - Strong's Greek Lexicon (ESV). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5289/esv/mgnt/0-1/
What IS Perfect Love?
Ah, we all long for that ‘perfect love’ don’t we? As parents, we hope and pray our sons and daughters will find ‘the one’. When the main character looks at his love interest and says, “You complete me”, we melt and hope that someone, someday, would say the same to us. We all love a sweet love story and a beautiful wedding. We gush over the newlyweds as the “perfect couple” with a perfect love. Everything is rosy.
And then life happens. What was once beautiful can become ugly. What was once perfect compatibility becomes irreconcilable differences. Love as we know it can fade and cool. Its endurance and length of days are terminal. Love is used as a tool for manipulation, a weapon to gain control, a bargaining chip to leverage and win battles. It is meted out to those ‘deserving’ of it and withheld from those who do not. There are separations and divorces, and attempts to try again, after the healing. Love between two people will never be perfect because we’re all flawed and sinful and in reality, perfect love seems elusive. We are prone to hurt one another because, at the heart, we are selfish people, aren’t we? We all want and need something in return. And when we look to another flawed person to fill that void, we expect them to provide something that, in their limited capacity, they cannot perfectly supply.
And those are the parameters by which we, as fallen sinners, learn to define love. We are finite and our experiences and understanding are as well. We have an incorrect, even corrupt, understanding of love. We must ask, are we setting our sons and daughters up for a Biblical understanding of love, especially if we’ve experienced flawed relationships, hurt, pain, and disappointment ourselves. What have our sons and daughters witnessed to shape their understanding of love?
God tells us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18. What is perfect love? The word perfect in Greek is the word “telios” which means to be complete, lacking nothing to be brought to full completion (1). And love, agape, means affection, goodwill or benevolence, to be charitable (see a need and move to fill it) (2).
But nothing we see around us seems to fit that description, does it? And love, the lack of love, the need for love and the attempt to find love can generate such fear and heart-crushing disappointment. Oh, friends, this is a prayer point that should drive us ALL to our knees- that we, our sons, and our daughters would have a correct, Biblical understanding of love.
Let’s look at perfect love through Scripture:
First, the focus of perfect love never resides with another person, but with God Himself. When we look to another human being, even those who are in the family of God, to provide perfect love, we are expecting them to deliver something that exceeds their capacity and capability. No man (or woman) is perfect. Yes, they can mirror and reflect Christ, but they will never be perfect. Perfect Love is from and in Christ. His love is limitless, boundless, and eternal.
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Jesus demonstrated that perfect love for us when He gave His life on the cross to pay for our sins and make a way for us to be justified, redeemed and restored to the Father.
Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Perfect love is only and always generated from and sustained by God Himself.
Second, God’s love will never fade or become incompatible with us. His love will not cool. He will never become disinterested or disillusioned. His is the ministry of reconciliation, always working and moving to bring us into intimate fellowship with Himself. He’s always reaching out and drawing in.
Colossians 1:19-20 “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him (Christ), and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Romans 5:17-19 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
Third, God will always, always, always remain faithful. There is nothing we can do to make Him not love us. He won’t find comfort in the arms of another. He IS perfect love and so He doesn’t need to look elsewhere for it nor does He need us to fulfill His needs. No, He chooses to love us unconditionally so that we will find our complete fulfillment in Him! He completes us!
2 Timothy 2:13 “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for he cannot disown Himself.”
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
Fourth, our limited minds will always struggle to comprehend the unlimited magnitude of God’s love. Though we try, we always default to what we know and have experienced, and thereby we evaluate God’s love by our own experiences. But that is faulty and, honestly, that’s sinful. We must teach our sons and daughters to have spiritual discretion, Scriptural wisdom and a heart and mind trained to hear the Holy Spirit and submit to and follow His teaching. We cannot judge God by human standards, nor can we gauge His love by what we know in this fallen world. The Apostle Paul gave us a powerful explanation in Ephesians 1.
“Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” Ephesians 1:6
The rulers of this age love to tell us what we should believe and how we should think based on their own ‘wisdom’. They continually trot out their standard of “perfect love” that, given time, shows itself as short-lived, broken, and incapable of truly meeting the needs of the ‘other’. It’s faulty.
“Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” Ephesians 1:9-10
God’s love far exceeds what we could EVER imagine!! Isn’t that mind-blowing? Nothing we’ve ever seen or experienced comes close. It IS perfect, complete, and lacking nothing. And it can be ours. What joy!! What mind-blowing generosity!! Pure, perfect love meeting all our needs and providing eternal security, provision and protection!
Oh that we and our sons and daughters would understand the true and perfect love of God. Let’s be careful not to create our expectation or judgment of perfect love based on what we see around us. Let’s always be cautious and only look to Jesus as our example and as the true lover of our souls. And then, let’s rely on the Holy Spirit to help us live like Jesus toward others, showing selfless, faithful love that isn’t based on what someone does for us, but offered freely because God loves them and created them in His likeness.
Today, let’s pray Ephesians 3:14-19 for our sons and daughters, asking God to help them get a glimpse of His perfect love that will eclipse anything and everything they know and have experienced yet in this life. Go on, pray boldly! Pray with hope! Our God wants to lavish His love on us freely and continually!
“Father, Abba, the One who loves me dearly, I pray in Your Son’s name that You would work in (name)’s heart today. “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen (name) with power through his Spirit in (their) inner being, so that Christ may dwell in (name)’s heart through faith. And I pray that (name), being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that (name) may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” May it be so, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
G5046 - teleios - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5046/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G26 - agapē - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g26/niv/mgnt/0-1/
Authentic Rest
As parents, our lives are crazy-busy, right? We’re continuously running after something, putting out fires, or trying to stay two steps ahead. It’s exhausting. As our sons and daughters become adults, the ‘busy’ doesn’t stop, it just shifts to other things. Then, we watch as our kids juggle,and run, and try to keep up. It doesn’t stop. Many will admit they’re in desperate need of rest. But so few know how to actually embrace and enjoy authentic rest. Where do we find it? How can we get it?
Jesus said, ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”” Matthew 11:28 Could it really be that simple?
Come to me all you who are weary. That word “weary” is the word “kopiao” in Greek and it means “exhausted with toils and burdens” (1), but it’s from the root word “kopos” which means “a beating, intense labor united with trouble and toil” (2) It’s true. Sometimes we feel as if life is giving us a beating…and each day compounds with the next until we’re barely able to cope. We’re not thriving. We are weary.
But that’s not all. We’re not just weary, we’re burdened. The Greek word is “phortizo” which means loaded with spiritual anxiety, burdensome requirements (3). Jesus was addressing the rules of the Jews- so burdensome that no one could ever measure up. But today, we are often burdened by the unrealistic examples set before us, the ‘influencers’ who look as if they have it all together, success at work, brilliant happy children, a beautiful home and the perfect figure…both in income and body. They have it all together and we just can’t measure up. We feel defeated. And it’s not just in the world, it’s in the church. We’re loaded with unrealistic man-made expectations that weigh us down.
Jesus calls us to come to Him. That’s the first step in pursuing rest. We need to make the choice. We choose so many of the ‘cares’: care-giver, care-taker, self-care, healthcare…but we often forget soul care. And that, friends, is where the weariness settles into our hearts and minds and weighs on us like no other burden can. We need to stop looking all around us and simply look to Him. We need to come. We don’t need to bring a gift, prepare a meal, or get all ‘gussied up’. We come as we are. That’s how Jesus wants us.
And what will happen when we come? Oh, when we come, He promises rest. The word ‘rest’ in Greek is “anapauo” which means “to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labor in order to recover and collect his strength; to keep quiet, of a calm and patient expectation” (4) It is rooted in two other words: ‘ana’ - into the midst, or to cause motion upward (5) and ‘pauo’- to make to cease and desist, to refrain a person from something (6). Jesus steps into the midst of our busy crazy life and brings a pause and calls us upward, to Him. He calls us to stop and recover. He calls us from burning ourselves out with all of the ‘doing’ and to pause and enjoy ‘being’ in His Presence.
Oh, don’t we long to have someone say to us “Come here so you can just stop and rest, lay down your burdens and worries and take time to recover and collect your strength., enjoy the calm and take your time, there’s no rush”? Breathe that in for a moment, friends. THAT is rest! And that’s what Jesus promises us. We don’t have to earn it. We don’t need to buy it. There are no prerequisites. Jesus’ rest is free for those who come. Far too often, we’re rushing to and fro, so much so, that we can’t stop… we don’t stop…and we bemoan our weariness and wish someone would allow us time to rest and would give us refreshment for our body, mind and soul. Jesus has. He does.
We set examples for our sons and daughters in so many things…but have we shown them how to properly, intentionally rest? Have we communicated that rest is not laziness and that soul-care is not selfish? Have we lived “coming to Jesus and resting” so they can see it modeled?
Friends, let’s pray today that we and our sons and daughters learn how to Come to Jesus with our weariness and step away from unrealistic expectations. Let’s pray that we allow Jesus to step into the midst and reminds us to cease our striving and simply rest in Him. Let’s enjoy the calm of sitting with Jesus and not rush on to the next thing. Let’s take enough time that we recover our strength for what He’s calling us to, not running after what the world tells us we need to do. Jesus will give us rest. We need to be intentional to step into it.
“Father, You call us to come to You for rest, yet we seem to struggle with that. We crave relief and recovery, yet we look everywhere else but to You. We fall into the trap of busyness and always ‘doing’ but we struggle to just ‘be’ in your Presence. Help us today to come to You to rest. Give us refreshment. Unburden our hearts and minds and still our restless spirits. I pray that You would help me model this well to others, especially to (name). Lord, I pray that (name) would learn quickly to look to Jesus for the remedy for their weary body, mind and soul. Don’t let us be distracted by the pace of this life or discouraged by influencers who would set unrealistic standards. You are the Standard. Let us look to You, only, and trust that You are working in us to fulfill Your plan in Your time. Lord, give us willing hearts to follow after You and rest in You. Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)
Pray without ceasing.
1. G2873 - kopos - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2873/niv/mgnt/0-1/
2. G2873 - kopos - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2873/niv/mgnt/0-1/
3. G5412 - phortizō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5412/niv/mgnt/0-1/
4. G373 - anapauō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g373/niv/mgnt/0-1/
5. G303 - ana - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g303/niv/mgnt/0-1/
Sit on the Rock
Exodus 17:10-13 “So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
Even though our sons and daughters are young, it doesn't mean they don’t grow weary. Physical weariness can happen to anyone. Young to old all grow weary. The young ones fall asleep anywhere- it’s cute and everyone understands. Yet, as we grow older, there is less tolerance for being tired, so we hide it. But it shows itself in other ways. You can see weariness in someone’s eyes. Their posture may become bent, their gait slows and their energy level loses its ‘sparkle’. Physical weariness isn’t difficult to spot. Spiritual weariness is more subtle and often better hidden. But it happens..to young and old alike. We need to be aware. And we need to be ready to offer support.
When God instructed Moses to hold his arms in the air to ensure Israel’s victory, it must have been invigorating...for the first few minutes. But as the minutes dragged into hours, Moses struggled. The physical drain was immense, but the spiritual burden was just as great. Israel’s success was dependent on Moses' obedience. If he let his arms fall, Israel would fall as well.
So, rather than berate him for getting weary or simply using words to urge him onward, Moses’ friends came alongside him, helped him sit down and, while he rested on a rock, they held up his arms for him. They carried the weight while he rested...on the rock.
There is a lot of spiritual symbolism in that, and a message we can carry to encourage our sons, daughters, friends and others. Rather than simply share ‘words’ or ‘kind thoughts’, let’s encourage those who are weary by offering them a seat on the Rock. Take them to Jesus in prayer and encouragement. And don’t just ‘drop them there’ but stand with them, hold them up, be the strength they need to remain until the battle is won.
Today, let’s pray the following for our sons and daughters:
That they would gladly take their seat on the Rock.
They would find rest in the Lord.
That when life is hard, Godly friends would uphold them and carry the burden with them until the battle is won.
That our sons and daughters would understand they don’t need to be strong on their own- God will sustain them and provide brothers and sisters in Christ to stand with them...and that they would accept that help, encouragement and support.
Pray without ceasing