And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

1 John 3:3 ESV

What is biblical hope?

It’s more than optimism, which is defined as “hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.”

Christians are more than glass-half-full people. Biblical hope means seeing more than silver linings, it means seeing a person: Jesus.

While there are multiple ways the Bible uses hope, in our passage today, it means to “hold on” to something that’s a sure thing.

What’s so special about this?

Biblical hope is the surprising pathway to purity.
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As a mentor once told me, “Whoever has your hope, has your heart.” What he meant is that we will pursue whatever brings us hope — and that shapes our lives.

We decide based on what (or whom) we hope in.

In today’s verse, the Apostle John teaches us that placing our ultimate hope in Jesus will lead to moral purity.

Our holiness rests on our hope.
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We follow God’s path rather than the world’s because we fully believe his plans lead to ultimate satisfaction, delight, and fulfillment.

Beyond moral righteousness, there is another way we can consider purity.

Purity is an undiluted focus on what matters most.
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Picture a glass of clear water with no adulterants or debris. This is having “pure” focus on Jesus. And hope in him as our ultimate Savior produces that.

When we place ultimate hope in anyone or anything other than Jesus, we will end up hurt, disappointed, and unfulfilled in this life — and especially — the one to come.

This means:

• Our own works…
• Our political party…
• Our wealth…
• Our health…
• Our government…
• Our friends…
• Our family…
• [fill in the blank]…

Place your ultimate hope for salvation, fulfillment, and delight in Jesus today. As we do, we become like him in moral excellence and character.

When King Saul’s men were closing in on him, David took refuge in God.

When he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered, David took his sin to God.

Notice that both situations were terrible. But one of them wasn’t David’s fault, and the other was.

Terrible situations arise in life. And sometimes they’re no one’s fault—other times, it’s the fruit of our actions.

Today’s devotional Bible verse reflects further on this:

See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!

Psalm 52:7 ESV

David wrote Psalm 52 just after a man named Doeg helped King Saul track him down (1 Samuel 22).

But there’s something even more awful this man Doeg did. There were some priests in a city called Nob who fed David and helped him on his journey. King Saul was furious that they did so, and ordered them killed.

However, his guards wouldn’t risk killing God’s priests…

…but Doeg would:

Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

1 Samuel 22:18–19 ESV

Doeg saw a chance to win favor with King Saul. He jumped at the opportunity to get rich and powerful by doing favors for an evil king.

And these two men, Doeg and Saul, are who David was reflecting on when writing Psalm 52.

Saul was driven by jealousy, insecurity, and an unquenchable thirst for power. And Doeg by the chance to win the good graces of a king. Neither man sought refuge in God.

Instead, they put hope in their idols. They “trusted in the abundance” of riches. And God reveals something powerful through today’s verse.

When we seek refuge in anything but God, we seek refuge in what destroys us.
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David shows us that whether we’re in a bad situation that’s not our fault, or if we’ve sinned greatly, we must go to God.

So where do you go for refuge?

• Do you take refuge in God in difficult situations—especially when they’re beyond your control?
• Do you go to God and confess, rather than run and hide, even when you’ve sinned?
• What people or things have you taken refuge in outside of God?

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV

The experts say it takes twenty one days to form a habit.

After reading this, you may think, “Just 21 days of waking up early to read my Bible and then it will be easy!” Many others have thought that way too, but it doesn’t work like that.

Spiritual self-discipline isn’t a pursuit that we simply force into habit; for if that were the case, there would be little need for the Holy Spirit in our lives. Remember Galatians 5 then, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.

We wouldn’t have it without the Spirit as it His gifting and work in us. This realization begs the question then: How do we become more self-disciplined in our spiritual lives?

Consider what Jeff Iorg puts forth in his book The Character of Leadership, “No fleshly effort will please God or build true discipline. Self-discipline refers to self as the object of discipline rather than its source. Even though discipline is learned, and self is the object of the discipline, the motivation and power to develop discipline comes from the Spirit.”

In order to become self disciplined, we need to stop trying to take on the Spirit’s role as the source of life-changing power and rely on the strength He will faithfully work in us.

Paul told Timothy to be strengthened by the Grace of Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1). If our motivation isn’t coming from the Holy Spirit, then we will continue in vain and fail in the practice of self-discipline.

Our motivation will be of an eternal scope when we press into the Holy Spirit, and He will give us the strength to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to motivate and sustain you in the practice of self-discipline.

“When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes masked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.”

Luke 8:34–37 ESV

Remember this crazy story in Luke 8?

Jesus casts out the demons who said, “My name is Legion for we are many.”

For years, the man they’d possessed was violent, naked, and unnaturally strong.

He terrorized that area like a feral animal.

After Jesus cast the demons out, the people found him “clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus.”

You’d think that guy would’ve had friends and family in that crowd… So naturally everyone would be all hugs and high-fives, right?

…but they’re not happy at all!

The passage says they were terrified and begged Jesus to leave them.

This is so weird until we see two deeper truths at work.

Do we really want Jesus’ freedom?

#1. When Jesus sets us free there may be a great cost to a life area that has a death drip on us.

In this case, Jesus cast the demons *out of the man* and into a herd of about 2,000 pigs. The pigs went mad, stormed off a steep cliff, and drowned themselves.

The spiritual renewal came at a cost to their finances.

What did the people want more? Freedom in Jesus or comfort in their idols?
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I’m asking myself that same question this morning. What do I value more, freedom in Jesus or my idols?

When Jesus shows up, get ready for your life to change!

Do we know Jesus’ power and his goodness?

#2. The people saw Jesus’ power, but not his goodness.

John Calvin wrote:

“We learn how wide is the difference between the knowledge of the goodness, and the knowledge of the power, of God. Power strikes men with terror, makes them fly from the presence of God . . . but goodness draws them gently, and makes them feel that nothing is more desirable than to be united to God.”

If we don’t see God’s goodness alongside his power, we miss the great adventure the begins in his presence.

It reminds me of Lucy and Susan’s conversation with Mr. Beaver about Aslan in “The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe”.

Susan asked, “Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver. “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Jesus isn't safe, but he's good.
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Let’s embrace his freedom at any cost. And let’s be drawn by his power and goodness.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

In the early 1800s, a young missionary named Adoniram Judson wrote a letter to his future father-in-law.

In it, he wrote asking for the hand of Ann Hasseltine:

I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for your and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall resound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?

(Quoted in Courtney Anderson, To The Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson)

It’s difficult to imagine receiving a request like this for a daughter’s hand in marriage. But when laid against the backdrop of the Great Commission in today’s devotional verse, I realize exactly what Jesus’ command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” might mean for any follower of Jesus.

Adoniram Judson did marry Ann. And they did spend their lives together in the mission field (primarily in Burma). However, Ann’s decision to marry Adoniram was not an easy one. But when she did decide to do so, she wrote this in a letter to a friend:

I feel willing, and expect, if nothing in providence prevents, to spend my days in this world in heathen lands. Yes, Lydia, I have about come to the determination to give up all my comforts and enjoyments here, sacrifice my affection to relatives and friends, and go where God, in his providence, shall see fit to place me.

The Judsons risked everything to obey Jesus’ command. But not simply because they were so good, but because they were so convinced of the “world of glory” awaiting those who belong to Jesus.

Adoniram’s letter, and Ann’s too, helps us see that the conviction to share the message of Jesus Christ flows from our great desire to be with him, and to have the whole world join us as well.

What is the great desire driving your life?

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church.”
Colossians 1:24 CSB

Now, if you’ve wondered if Paul was saying Jesus didn’t do enough on the cross, take a breath with me. Because he actually means the opposite.

Let’s unpack the meaning together.

“What is Lacking in Christ’s Afflictions”: What Paul is Really Getting At

Paul’s not adding to Jesus’ sacrifice. Tat was perfect and complete, end of story. Instead, he’s talking about his own journey of suffering for the sake of the gospel and the church.

Let’s break it down:

1. Making It Real: Imagine Paul’s saying, “Hey, what’s missing is people seeing and feeling Christ’s suffering in the flesh.” By going through hardships for the gospel, Paul’s making Jesus’ sacrifice tangible. It’s like he’s bringing it from a sketch on a page to an amazing sculpture for people.
2. Becoming More Like Jesus: You know how we’re called to be like Christ? Well, Paul’s saying his suffering is part of that process. It’s shaping him to be more like Jesus. This is the process we call sanctification.
3. The Church’s Ongoing Story: Some folks think Paul’s talking about the big picture. How the church as a whole will face trials until Jesus comes back. Paul’s just playing his part in that larger story.
4. Missionary Life: Here’s a more recent take. . . Paul’s specifically talking about the unique sufferings that come with being a missionary. It’s not for the faint of heart. But that’s the point. Jesus didn’t promise discipleship was an easy road. (See John 16:33.)

So What’s the Big Idea?

When we look at the whole of Paul’s teachings and the context here, he’s probably saying something like this:

1. His sufferings in ministry are making Christ’s sacrifice real and visible to others. It’s not just ancient history—it’s alive and active.
2. By enduring hardships for the gospel, he’s taking part in Jesus’ sufferings. It’s simply what Paul called “discipleship.”
3. His afflictions are actually benefiting the church. How? By spreading the gospel and encouraging other believers.

Paul’s not trying to one-up Jesus here. He’s making Jesus’ work known and effective in people’s lives through his own sacrificial ministry.

What This Means for Us

Here’s where it gets real for us today.

This verse is a wake-up call about what it means to follow Jesus and spread His message. It’s not always going to be comfortable, friends. But here’s joyful news: our sufferings for Christ’s sake aren’t meaningless. They’re part of something bigger, something that benefits the whole church.

So next time life gets tough because of your faith, remember Paul’s words. You’re not just suffering. You’re participating in Christ’s work in a profound way. It’s a high calling, and yes, it’s costly. But it’s worth it to be counted worthy to suffer for Jesus’ sake. (See Acts 5:41.)

Let’s pray for the strength to embrace this calling, even when it hurts. Because in the end, it’s all about Jesus and His kingdom. And that’s worth everything.

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Psalm 119:18 ESV

When you open up the Bible, what do you expect to find?

If you’re like David, you expect “wondrous things.” And he only had a small portion of the Bible God’s given us today!

The reality is this…

There is no wasted moment reading God's Word.
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Even if you only read a single verse, you are hearing from God himself. And you have the chance to “behold wondrous things” in his word.

From now on, never let a single day pass without reading at least one verse. You can do that, right?

Then read two… Three… Four… And before you know it, you’re reading entire chapters.

This tiny habit will snowball and change your life. Will you do this?

Pray for open eyes to behold wondrous things from God’s word — and commit to reading at least one verse every day for the rest of your life.

On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. (Joshua 4:14 ESV)

Tens of thousands had just crossed crossed over the mighty Jordan river without floatation devices. They strolled across the miraculously dry river bed without a drop of water clinging to their feet.

Oh yeah, and the river just happened to be at flood stage. Which means that at some points, the river had swollen from 100 feet wide to 2,500 feet wide (source).

It’s incredible.

It’s also eerily reminiscent of another miraculous water crossing (Hint: It’s the Red Sea crossing in Exodus 14).

So not only was this crossing of the Jordan significant because God’s power was on display, it was also symbolic of his authority being conferred from Moses to Joshua as Israel’s leader.

Our text tells us that God “exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.”

As a leader, this was a good first day. But notice a few things here:

1. God exalted Joshua in front of the people. There was no hint of self-promotion here. No flicker of that desperate need for approval, acceptance, and adulation that plagues so many of us.
2. Effective—and God-honoring—leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. Rather, it’s about being the person who gets with God. The person who says what God tells them to. Who leads people to where the Spirit is leading them.
3. Being the kind of leader that leads God’s people to great places is less about personal attributes than it does personal commitment. After all, Jesus modeled this perfectly by only doing and saying what the Father did and said.

Unfortunately, this is not how I’ve often approached it.

I always want to dazzle. I want to be the cleverest person in the room. I want to be eloquent, fresh, and profound.

My pride purrs like a kitten when I get to be the guy who tackles a text from a different angle than people have heard before.

In fact, there’s this satisfying moment I remember after preaching through the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. A New Testament professor came up to me afterwards and told me, “Wow. I’ve never heard this passage taught that way.”

I LOVED that… Too much, I’m afraid.

But when I take a step back and think about it, I’ve been the most effective when I’ve simply done and said what God’s told me to do and to say.

The crux of Biblical leadership seems to be this: We’re most effective when we do and say exactly what the Holy Spirit leads us to. Because ultimately, he’s always going to point people to Jesus and God’s glory, which is exactly who we all need.

We need Jesus. We need to submit to his Lordship. To follow him on the cruciform path. We were made to run after him with wild abandon.

We’ve come to the end of our series about the disciple’s race in the book of Hebrews.

So far, we’ve learned:

Compassion isn't simply a feeling of pity—it's the willingness to suffer with others!
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Hope in Jesus fosters endurance to resist sin, compromise, and fear.
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Hebrews 11 isn't simply the hall of faith—it's our family tree.
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The Holy Spirit leads us *out* of death and *into* freedom.
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Today, we’re going to look to Jesus in Hebrews 12:2. We’ll see that the disciple’s life is a race that costs us everything, that we may gain even more.

…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

Some of you reading this devotion are tired. You’re frazzled and frayed.

You have a million responsibilities—maybe as parents, teachers, professionals, caring for sick loved ones, and the list goes on.

Add onto this the call to be disciples running a difficult race through enemy territory.

If this describes you, you’re in the same sandals as the original readers of Hebrews. They were ready to throw in the towel and trade their cleats for slippers. But in today’s verse, the writer of this letter helps us see the ultimate encouragement.

He tells us all: look to Jesus! He means fix your attention solely on Jesus.

For one minute get tunnel vision, forget the chaos of your life, and simply look to Jesus right now.

What did he do?

He *endured* the horror of Roman crucifixion.

Why did he do it?

“…for the joy that was set before him…”

Jesus looked right through the cross and pursued the joy before him. The joy David wrote about in a Psalm:

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 ESV

Because where does Jesus sit today?

At the right hand of the throne of God.

You see, life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is hard. This is a difficult race we run. However, we’re not running a hopeless, joyless, drudgery-laden race!

We are looking forward to everlasting joy in the very presence of God! Joy unending.

Eternal peace. An end to sorrow, suffering, and death itself.

And yes, we do have this awaiting us on the other side of the grave… But did you know it’s also available to us right now?

In John 15:11 Jesus told the Twelve: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

What does it mean when something’s full? It means nothing can be added to it to make it complete.

In the person and presence of Jesus Christ we have complete joy. Joy that needs nothing else to make it better.

We need no spiritual weight, no sin that clings so closely…

…we simply need to “abide” in him. To live in and dwell with him.

If you trust Jesus as Master, Savior, and Lord, then trust that he was looking toward real joy. Joy that was worth enduring the cross for.

As Warren Wiersbe, said: “…in Jesus’ battle against sin, He shed His own blood.” [1]

• If you are a tired disciple, abide in Jesus and receive his joy.
• If you are on the brink of giving up, look to the author and perfecter of our faith.
• If you are enduring persecution, trust that Jesus, as the God-man, knew the true path to eternal joy… And follow him.

Fellow disciple, put on your tunnel vision glasses, and look to Jesus today as we run the disciple’s race side by side.

Footnotes:

[1] Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996. Print.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Revelation 1:17-18 ESV

King Jesus is alive and glowing with power, like the sun (Revelation 1:12-16).

He is sovereign, which means possessing supreme or ultimate power. He is worthy of our adoration, our worship, and our lives. But before all of these, he’s also worthy of our hearts.

Jesus is worthy of our worship and our lives—he’s also worthy of our hearts.
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Yesterday, we considered our response to King Jesus in light of the Apostle John’s reaction to him. He literally fell at Jesus’ feet “as though dead.” But what happened next?

King Jesus “laid his hand on me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Jesus displayed his heart toward his worshipper. The King’s heart is for us. It is not hardened by power, but compassionate.

His work on the earth has brought salvation to us by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). And his reign extends that grace! He still reaches down to pull us up, still places his mighty hand upon our shoulders, in love.

We worship a mighty King—but more importantly a loving God.
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Be moved today to worship a God who loves you!