“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” – Hebrews 12:3
This Scripture lifts our eyes to Jesus and invites us to run our race the same way He ran His— with endurance, with purpose, and with our eyes fixed on the finish line. The writer tells us that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him” (v. 2 NKJV). What was that joy? It wasn’t the nails. It wasn’t the shame. It wasn’t the agony. The joy set before Him was the Father’s will accomplished, the redemption of His people, and the glory of bringing many sons and daughters home. You were His joy. Your salvation. Your restoration. Your eternity. That joy was so great that He pressed through the hostility, the mockery, the spitting, the rejection, and the cross itself. Love kept Him going. Purpose kept Him going. You kept Him going.
The writer then tells us to “consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (v. 3 NKJV). To “consider” means to think deeply, to weigh carefully, to look long and hard at Jesus. When we consider Him—His endurance, His obedience, His love, His suffering—it strengthens us in our own race. It reminds us that hostility is not new. Shame is not new. Being misunderstood is not new. Jesus faced all of it and kept moving forward. And when we look at His earthly ministry, we see something else: many turned away from Him. At one point, entire crowds walked away because His teaching was too hard. By the end of His race, He didn’t have thousands cheering Him on—He had a handful of disciples, a few faithful women, and a thief on a cross who believed at the last moment. Jesus finished His race with far fewer followers than He started with, yet He never measured success by numbers. He measured it by obedience.
This speaks powerfully to churches today. Many congregations feel small, overlooked, or dismissed in a culture that measures success by size, visibility, and popularity. Pastors are often asked, “How many people attend your church?” as if attendance alone determines faithfulness. And while those questions can sting—not because we are ashamed of the Lord, but because we live in a culture obsessed with metrics—Scripture reminds us that Jesus never told His people to run the race of popularity. He told us to run the race set before us. The same Jesus who endured the cross is the Jesus who sustains every faithful church, no matter its size. He provides. He strengthens. He opens doors. He changes lives. When we consider Him—really consider Him—we stop worrying about how big the crowd is and start rejoicing that He is in our midst. Jesus finished His race with a small group, yet through them He changed the world. He still works that way today.
What race has God set before you right now? Are you growing weary because of comparison, criticism, or cultural pressure? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Consider Him. Let His endurance strengthen yours. Let His joy become your joy. Keep running. Keep trusting. Keep looking to Jesus. He is your joy, your strength, and your reward.
“Christ looked beyond the cross to the crown; beyond the suffering to the glory; beyond the shame to the joy. So must the Christian.” — A.W. Pink
surrendered devotions 