2012-02-01

The Secrets of Faithfulness - How can one be faithful as Moses

The secrets to faithfulness begins with knowing who we are and then holding on to Jesus the author and perfecter of faith. Having a mission and an empowerment enables us to be faithful till the end.
I was asked to write a devotion based on Heb 3:1-6. It was in Chinese and had a restriction of 400 words limit. Here is a freer and longer sharing for the passage.

Know Who We Are
Heb 3:1 begins with Paul addressing us as holy brothers with a mission - heavenly calling. We are holy and are with a mission all because of Jesus.  It follows then our job is to consider and focus on Jesus - Who He is, what he did and what he will be doing, especially in relation to us. In verse 6, we are reminded that we are the house built by Jesus and are encouraged to hold our confidence and even boast of our hope in Jesus. Let's then focus on Jesus.

Focus on Jesus - Who He is and What He Did and Will Do for us.
Verse 1 continues with "consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession."

What About Jesus?
  1. Jesus is the reason for our faith - our confession.
  2. Jesus as the Apostle - the Messenger, the Sent One, of the mission from God to tell us and to save us.
  3. Jesus as the High Priest - who present us, with His own blood, purified and reconciled to God. He is our advocate (1 John 2:1)
  4. Jesus as the Faithful Son to all of God's household (v6 tell us we are of His house). Because Jesus is faithful and hence we can be faithful.
  5. Paul used Moses as a standard of faithfulness. The faithful deeds of Moses can be seen in the mind-map below. One key to Moses' faithfulness is found in v5 "to testify to the things that were to be spoken later". Moses himself holds on to the revelation of Jesus that God had given to him in the two forty-day periods with God. A mission with a vision will help us to be faithful and to persevere in difficult times.
  6. If Moses is great, Jesus is even more glorious. Moses is a faithful servant. Jesus is the faithful Son. Jesus is the builder of the house and receives more honor.

Conclusion:

The keys to faithfulness then begin with knowing that we are of Jesus and Jesus is our savior. He is the faithful Son that accomplishes His missions.

Paul rewords it again, in even clearer terms, in 
Heb 12:2 [NIV]
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
.
Lim Liat (C) 1 Feb 2012 

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