“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Heb. 12:1 ESV)

Strain forward to what lies ahead

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12-14 ESV)

Run with purpose

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:24-27 ESV)

Therefore…

“But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” (Isa. 59:7 ESV)

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9 ESV)

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,” (Jude 1:20 ESV)

Be strong in the Lord

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”  (Eph. 6:10 ESV)

Humble yourself

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV)

Be strengthened by God’s grace

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” (2 Tim. 2:1 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” (Heb. 12:12-13 ESV)

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11 ESV)

Build up your neighbor

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” (Rom. 15:1-4 ESV)

Let all things be done for building each other up

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” (1 Cor. 14:26 ESV)

Give grace to the hearer

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29 ESV)

Encourage one another in love and good works

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25 ESV)

Sharpen each other up

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Prov. 27:17 ESV)

Pursue what makes for peace

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”  (Rom. 14:19 ESV)

Therefore…

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16 ESV)

“Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation…” (Isa. 28:16 ESV)

Foundation: base, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing, root, underpinning, anchorage, brace, bulwark, buttress, infrastructure, mount, prop, substratum, substructure, support

The foundation is Jesus Christ

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11 ESV)

God’s firm foundation stands

“But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (2 Tim. 2:19 ESV)

Therefore…

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24-27 ESV)

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16 ESV)

Holiness: The most basic meaning of the word holy is to be "set apart" or "dedicated" to God. Biblical terms translated "holy" or "holiness" (qadosh, hagios) carry a strong secondary connotation of moral purity. Holiness is not primarily about moral purity. It's primarily about union with God in Christ and sharing in Christ's holiness.

Bring holiness to completion

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1 ESV)

You shall be holy to God

“You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” (Lev. 20:26 ESV)

“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” (1 Thess. 4:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Tim. 2:21 ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil…” (2 Tim. 2:23-24 ESV)

Avoid quarreling and show perfect courtesy

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3:1-2 ESV)

“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” (2 Tim. 2:14 ESV)

Give a soft answer

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov. 15:1 ESV)

A wise man quietly holds back

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” (Prov. 29:11 ESV)

“When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish”.  (Psalm 136:4 ESV)

Plans change in an instant

A couple of days ago, my next door neighbor died after a brief illness. Recently he had told me he was going to retire at the end of this year and would finally be able to get around to the many projects he planned to do. He liked to restore classic cars and work on projects around his yard. Today, I walked past his house and saw his pickup parked on the street in front of his house where he had left it and the classic car he had been working on sitting in his driveway. I felt sad to realize my neighbor was truly gone. In an instant, all his plans were stopped when he breathed his last. But, that in a nutshell, is all our stories. We are all here for only a brief time.

Everyone dies

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” (Heb. 9:27 ESV)

The dead will be raised

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:51-57 ESV)

Someday death will be no more

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4 ESV)

Hachiko bronze statue at the Shibuya Station

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

A remarkable story of faithfulness

When I think of what it means to watch faithfully and wait, I think of the famous story of Hachico, the Akita breed, dog born on November 10, 1923 in Japan. Hidesaburo Ueno was his master, a professor in the agriculture department at University of Tokyo who took Hachiko as a pet in the year 1924. The dog and his master became good friends and developed an attachment such that Hachiko used to greet his master at the end of each day at the nearby train station. This daily routine continued until May 1925 when the professor died of a cerebral hemorrhage and did not return to the train station where Hachiko was waiting for him. Every day for the next nine years, Hachiko waited for his master at the Train station in the same evening time. People who saw the dog with his master earlier understood the faith of Hachiko for his master and that is how the dog became famous in the country. Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, and was found on a street in Shibuya. Hachiko  faithfully waited for his master to return, but sadly, he never did. But, we have the promise that our Master, Jesus, will in fact, return for us someday, in the same way He left. Therefore, we wait faithfully and expectedly, for His return with complete assurance.

“… Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 BASV)

Therefore…

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Man. 3:25 ESV)

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isa. 49:31 ESV)

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:11 ESV)

The Christmas party

When I was a young Youth For Christ director in our county, I often spoke at youth groups and churches around our community. Money was tight in those days and sometimes they would give me a small offering which I was glad to get. Just before Christmas one year, a local church invited me to speak at their evening service which included a Christmas party afterwards. They asked me to bring my wife and children, which I did. Because it was the Christmas season I decided to speak on the subject of giving with the title of my message, “Why you should give generously.” I remember how enthusiastically they responded when I passionately drove home my points about “how much better it is to give than to receive!” They cheered loudly when I proclaimed passionately, “You must give generously because God loves a cheerful giver!” There were so many “amens” and “hallelujahs” that I concluded I must be giving the best message I’d ever delivered. After I was finished with my message the pastor announced that we were all to go to the church basement for the Christmas party. He then asked us to wait until everyone else had gone down first and we were to go downstairs last with him. We then walked downstairs and when we entered the room, everyone yelled “Surprise!” And the pastor told us that they had planned a huge Christmas surprise party for me and my family. In the corner of the room was a decorated Christmas tree and all around it were boxes and boxes of presents the church members had gotten for us. We were shocked by all this. The entire church watched and applauded as we opened the mountain of gifts. We were completely  overwhelmed by their outpouring of love and generosity. And when I remembered the message about giving that I had delivered earlier that evening, I was very embarrassed. But, the truth is, that group of people obviously loved giving to a young youth worker and his family. And God has most assuredly blessed them for it. That evening of so many years ago remains to this day, a wonderful memory and powerful personal example of how God pours out the kind of blessing which is “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over!” (Luke 6:38). You see examples in scripture of early Christians sharing this same kind of love with each other.

They gave to those who had need with glad and sincere hearts

“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” (Acts 2:45-46 NIV)

Therefore,,,

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 ESV)

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Prov. 11:25 ESV)