Consider Jesus

"Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus," ~Hebrews 3:1 (emphasis mine)

"For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." ~Hebrews 12:3 (emphasis mine)

Consider Jesus...  

Think about these two words for a moment.  How they completely change our perspective!

When we consider something, we ponder it carefully, weighing each aspect with great detail.  The word used here in Greek means, "to perceive, remark, observe, understand" and "to consider attentively, fix one's eyes or mind upon."

Those who consider something, fix their eyes and mind upon it, seeking to understand with every part of their being.  

And as Christians, we are called to consider Jesus!

We are to fix our eyes upon all that He has done for us, His promises, and His character.  In chapter 3, the author considers one specific aspect of Jesus' character: His faithfulness.  And in the twelfth chapter, we are encouraged to consider the hostility and rejection Jesus endured from His enemies.  But these are only two aspects of Jesus' character; there are countless thousands more!  Even His love is unfathomable:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry. ~Fred­er­ick Leh­man

There is so much to consider!

And as we consider Him, as we turn our faces toward Him and meditate on who He is, we shall be abundantly blessed and our lives shall be completely transformed.

Considering Jesus gives us a whole new perspective on everything!

In Hebrews 12:3, we learn that considering Jesus gives us a fresh understanding of our suffering so that we might not grow weary and discouraged in our souls.  When we remember how Jesus was bruised and broken for our transgressions, our sufferings seem small by comparison.  When we remember that men spit mud upon the King of kings and blasphemed in His face, any persecution we receive is so small.

When we remember how He endured even through the difficulties, we are reminded to persevere in doing good, because He persevered for us.  He poured out His very life's blood for us, He became sin so that we might become righteousness.  He cloaked Himself with the robes of our sin, took off His own purple robes and laid them upon our shoulders.  Oh, how that must have pained Him to step down from the royalty which He so richly deserved and to undergo greater opposition than any other human on earth.

What have we to complain about?  What have we to be discouraged about.  We should be jumping for joy!  We should be on our faces before the Lord praising up and seeking to please Him because of all that He has done for us.

Do you see how considering Him changed our perspective of our own suffering?

Considering Him is not limited merely to the discouraged soul.  As we ponder the humiliation of Jesus, our pride seems so foolish.  We have nothing to boast of, and everything to praise Him for!

Considering the love of our precious Savior puts our petty love to shame.  It inspires us to be more compassionate and loving with our family members and even our enemies.

I have been learning over theses past weeks that when my mind is turned onto myself, and my problems, and my failures, in creeps despair and unhappiness. Discouragement knocks at the door and begs to be let in.  Weariness and faintheartedness grab a hold of me and refuse to let go.

But when I consider Jesus, all these weights are laid aside.

When I look up and consider Jesus–His strength, His Word, and His work–I am encouraged, strengthened, and spurred on to run for Him with all my heart.

Let us look to Him, my dear friends, and He will completely transform our hearts.

The two verses before Hebrews 12:3 perfectly sum up this concept:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

When the weight of this world seems heavy upon our shoulders, let us consider Him, and He supernaturally lifts these weights off us and instead gives us Himself.  Let Him completely change your perspective.  Allow Him to do His work in your life.  Consider Jesus...