Hebrews 12:12-17
Renew Your Spiritual Vitality (Genesis 25:29–34; 27:30–40)
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
We are told after running life’s race with diligence and discipline to then find strength in our faith based on Christ and His finished work for us to live at peace with God and man. When we feel downtrodden and weary in following Christ due to opposition and our own failures, then we need to remind ourselves to keep on the narrow road towards the goal of Jesus Christ Himself (Philippians 3:14). This means trusting Him to give us of His strength to pick ourselves up and press on to that heavenward beckoning of the Lord as we run after peace with others as much as is in our responsibility (Romans 12:18, 14:19) and peace with God in striving against sin and for godliness with holiness of thought and action. If we allow bitterness in our dealings against sin or others in their treatment of us, then we miss the mark and need to repent to follow God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16) to restoration in grace. We are called to avoid being defiled by putting sin in all forms to death, mortifying it as it arises to not lessen the effects of the goodness of God’s grace in Christ who calls us to be conformed to His image as we imitate Him through meditation on the word of God with the examples and teaching of others who are following Him to shepherd and teach us. We remember Esau who did not value the gift and inheritance of God and the result, and therefore keep our eyes forward as we press on to know our Lord more and make Him known in our lives and speech that reflect and honor the gospel of Jesus Christ. We find Faith’s strength drives our peace with our fellow man and God when put into daily actions.
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