It’s not an if, but a when. When life gets messy and complicated, when we are confronted with heartache and persecution, when we face the temptation of the world, when it becomes inconvenient or painful or costly to continue to follow Jesus—what, then, do we do? How do we persevere? It is in response to questions such as these that the author of Hebrews meets us with this persistent refrain: Lift your eyes and look 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.
