Fix your eyes on Jesus1All these heroes of faith are like a great crowd of witnesses that surround us and encourage us to keep faith with God. So let us shrug off everything that comes against us and refuse every temptation to sin, with which the devil wants to entangle us. Let us persevere in running the race in which God has entered us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus who is always ahead of us. Without Him we could not have faith, nor could we grow in faith. He gave us faith and He will perfect our faith.2Look at the way He ran the race. He always aimed for the eternal joy that lay ahead of Him, even though along the way He had to suffer to the point of death on the cross, regardless of the shame that was attached to such a death. He finished the race and is now seated in heaven at God's right hand.3Yes, think of Him who put up with continual opposition from sinful people. Then you will not grow tired of the opposition you have to face and become discouraged.He disciplines those He loves4You struggle against sin. Yet you have not had to resist the temptation to deny Christ by dying for Him! Do not forget the encouraging words that God spoke when addressing you as His sons: "My son, do not think lightly about the way the Lord disciplines you.5Do not be discouraged when He corrects you.6For He disciplines those He loves and punishes when necessary everyone who He has accepted as His son."7So you can regard the various hardships you have to face in a positive way, as discipline. God is dealing with you as His true sons! After all, every good father disciplines his children.8If God did not discipline you, then you would not be His true son or daughter; you would be spiritually illegitimate instead.9We all know what it is like to have human fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them as a result. How much more important it must be that we should gladly submit to whatever discipline we need to receive from our spiritual Father, and so live to please Him!10Our human fathers disciplined us in our early years in ways they thought were right. But God knows how to discipline us for our eternal good, so that we might share in His holy life.11None of us likes to be disciplined; it can sometimes be painful. Later we are grateful, though, because it has had positive results, enabling us to live righteous lives that please God and to be at peace with Him. In fact, without discipline we could not become trained disciples!12So be encouraged when you feel weak and feeble, even if sometimes you feel like giving up because the way before you seems so difficult.13God wants to make level paths for you to walk on, so that instead of limping through life you walk steadily with Him, as those healed and set free from whatever would hinder their walk.Holiness14So do all you can to ensure that you live at peace with others. And be holy; live as one whom God has set apart for Himself. For without holiness no-one will see the Lord and belong to Him eternally.15Be sure also that you never lose sight of God's grace which is always available to you. Let no bitterness be allowed to tarnish your relationships with others, for that only causes trouble and has ruined many lives.16Certainly no believer should be involved in sexual immorality of any kind. Nor should he be like Esau, who valued his rights of inheritance as the oldest son so little that he sold them. Such behaviour is ungodly.17Later he was rejected when he wanted his inheritance back. There was no way in which he could change God's mind on the matter, even though he sought the blessing with tears.
Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)