Gephyrophobia, the Fear of Bridges

Hebrews 12:1 (GWTW) Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up.

We have looked at Hebrews 11 many times over the past year. Anyone that I have mentored over the past 5 years knows my deep gratitude for what God has shared with us through the faithful family history folded between the pages within the book of Hebrews. To paraphrase a few verses from chapter 11 as to not restate its entirety: I could keep talking about it because I seem not to be able to exhaust their faithful efforts or to tire of seeing the effect it has as it passes throughout generations. I too am enthralled with what I see on the horizon, desiring to keep the road behind and ahead well marked for others to follow”

So, today I desire to add a connecting piece to some of the perspectives we have been viewing. Between the verses in Chapter 11 and the verses in Chapter 12, which entwines all our topics on running the race, not being crushed and standing in the fullness of Christ, we have this beautiful verse of instruction. It is the bridge that connects these two continents of wisdom.

If Hebrews 12:1 is a bridge telling us we must get rid of everything that slows us down….especially sin that distracts us. We must look at the functionality of a bridge to put it in perspective.

Let’s think about what a bridge is utilized for, it is the intersecting point where we have to decide if we are going to take action. This action is movement, in the form of actually walking across to the other side. We have to decide it is time to walk away from the land of knowledge and facts. We must step out of the safety zone of the land from where we have been and actually walk across the bridge in faith that the land we have heard about will actually be there when we arrive.

Think about what is beneath that bridge. It must not have been an area that could be traveled without someone understanding what it took to safely be transported to the new land. Yet we did not see the engineer that built it. We have heard and seen others have made it. So we go… without hesitation.

We will be discussing this point by point for the next few weeks.

I pray that we will think about the land we are in asking for God’s perspective of the things we have seen; heard and experienced – looking unto Jesus…he is the author and finisher of our faith. To Him be all the glory always in all ways.

Kisses,
Candace

Impulsiveness or Discipleship?

From Oswald Chambers Devotion "Utmost for His Highest"




But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith . . . —Jude 20


There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman—an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.


Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he "followed Him at a distance" on dry land ( Mark 14:54 ). We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.