Therefore lift up the hands that are hanging down and the feeble knees; And make straight the paths for your feet, but let that which is lame be healed . Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see God.
We know the story of the hare and the hyena. There was famine that resulted in such a great and extended season of hunger that all food to be eaten was all gone. And so hare and hyena agreed to both kill their mothers and eat them before they finally die. However, hare was cunning enough and convinced the hyena to first kill his mother and this went as planned. But when it the turn for the hare to do the provision, she hid her mother and the story can be picked up from there. Bottom line of the story selfishness and egocentricity.
For you to make every effort , it means that there must be any area of weakness. And because they are well identified, the best you can do is to fix them. Fixing them requires effort and not just effort but much effort. James the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ would love us to look at these two areas, which are:-
1. Wavering faith e.g. Peter in Mathew 26.69-75
2. Personal zeal The I can do it all by myself, Acts 8.1
Acts 22.10 Paul when confronted by Jesus asked, "What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go to Damascus; and there you will be told what you are supposed to do".
3. Overconfidence and Spirituality Philippians 3.4
4. Learn to forget yesterdays glory Philippians 3.7-10
Look at these words Therefore v.12 of our main scripture. It is an adjoining word, expounding what has been previously mentioned. For me and you to produce a harvest of righteousness Hebrews 12.12 has to be a daily application. The feeble arms (extremely weak, not very good or effective) have to be strengthened, Exodus 17.8-13
When spiritual fatigue sets in, friend you are exposed. Take care you are vulnerable. You need to make effort and every effort for this matter counts
Hebrews 12.13 Make level paths for your feet. Take cue from King David Psalm 119.105, " Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path". This same David declares, " I have made an oath and confirmed it that I will follow your righteous law". All these David promises God not withstanding the effects of resistance and body fatigue. This is a call for upright conduct that will help rather than hinder the spiritual and moral welfare of others especially the "lame" who waver in faith.
Hebrews 12.14, Make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy. This is not an easy plan, it calls for resilience, a heart of forgiveness and above all love. Love of yourself is the foundation of loving others. You can only forgive someone knowing you will require the same level of love somewhere.Your testimony should not be held back by any scandal. Neither should your walk of faith be determined by your surrounding. It needs to be total. You need to be a faithful servant of God equally diving the word of God.There is no choice to this verse, either embrace it or you live it. Hallelujah!
Let us look critically at what it means to Holy living.
Holy means consecrated ,sacred, morally and spiritually perfect. It means belonging to , empowered by or devoted to God or of high moral excellence.
Holiness is not a choice. On the contrary, this is a way of life 1 Peter 1.15-16, Because you and I have been called of God there is no exception to living a holy life. The bible clearly says that without Holiness no man will see God. Who does not want to see God? With this desire burning in your heart, therefore, Make every effort to live a holy life.
Isaiah 35.8 "And a highway will be there. It will be called the way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it. It will be for those who walk in that way. Their speech and actions are in sync with what they purport to profess. They suffer no guilt nor are repentant of who watches and sees what they are doing. Do you live such a kind of life, Or your testimony is dictated by who is around you?
1 Corinthians 1.12 "Now this I say to everyone of you. I Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you. Love is a force of desire but is generated by choice. Decide today to follow Jesus. Stop looking at the challenges besetting you. Forget about the forces trying to pull you down. Stand up and live for Christ. It is a daily duty of making effort. The effort you made yesterday was meant for the business of yesterday, today you will need to work hard and stretch forth the feeble arms and straighten the weak knees. The goodness with life is that I will not struggle alone. The Holy Spirit is my guide, teacher, trainer and also empowered to correct me. Therefore I can manage t live on the straight and narrow.
Beloved, because there is no justification in the law, therefore make every effort to live at peace with all men. Amen. Receive it in Jesus' name. Grace!
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