“Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace. For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come. Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Hebrews‬ ‭13:13-15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

The previous day’s devotional reminded us of the importance of how and where Jesus died (outside of Jerusalem); the Romans and Jewish leaders treated His body in alignment with the sin sacrifice regulations. He was treated as someone cast from society, like a criminal who had committed the most unimaginable crimes, ridiculed and mocked until the moment of His very last breath. This death is the disgrace that the author is reminding us of. To walk the proper walk to Jesus will require you to carry a cross every day. You will have to endure mocking and ridicule. The world will think you are crazy and weird for living the way you do. You can be cast out from those who should have welcomed you, and there may even be physical suffering due to going to Him. When we are genuinely trying to get to Jesus, we can not help but continually offer praise to God, and the glory He desires is to confess the name of Jesus. To glorify His most beloved son by praising Him for what He did. To worship Jesus by standing firm to the truth that Jesus is the ONLY way to get to the Father, no matter the consequences.

Our hope is not in success in this world. This is why we should not fear the consequences of glorifying Jesus. We hope in the eternal new Jerusalem where Jesus our King will rule and reign. If we live for a future hope and glory in a creation not yet here, then we would have no fear of the consequences on this earth. If we are not willing to bear the disgrace that Jesus carried and to walk in the way that He walked then it means we are not yet focused on our eternal dwelling place, but we are focused on what happens to us here on earth. Our focus and driving factor is the opinion man has and not the eternal relationship with God.

For those choosing to walk the narrow path of salvation, make a stance to keep your focus on the eternal dwelling place in which our hope is built. Do not focus on your life here on earth, but instead, focus on living for your treasures in eternity. Do not concern yourself with the opinion of man but instead focus on God’s view of you. Are you starting to be dressed into the likeness of God (Christ Jesus), or are you still dressed like everyone else in the world and living on the self-indulging highway that leads to eternal destruction? Choose the path of carrying Jesus’s disgrace, take His cross every day and enjoy the blissful peace and joy that only comes from Jesus.