Hebrews 3:1 (ESV)
¹ Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

As Christians, nothing or no one should be considered more than Jesus. He is the goal at which we aim “for the prize of the upward call of God” (Philippians 3:14). We should consider Him with an appreciation for all that He has done for us, and for what He continues to do.

Jesus is the Apostle sent by God with a message of reconciliation…a message that could not be completed without Him dying on the cross, paving the way for the Holy Spirit to come and guide His apostles into all truth (John 16:7-13).

He is the High Priest who offered His blood for our atonement (Hebrews 9:13-14). His blood con-tinues to cleanse us as long as we walk in the light, repenting of any sins we commit and confess-ing them to God (1 John 1:7-10). A part of this cleansing process involves the second part of our Lord’s work as our High Priest—His mediatorial work.

1 John 2:1 (ESV)
¹ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

It is a blessing to know that we have a Savior to help us when we sin. We have a mediator to plead our case before God. This should not only give us a sense of security, knowing that there is always a remedy to help us when we sin, but also encourage us as we fight against sin. Jesus died on the cross so that we could win this battle. In our warfare against the devil, instead of quit-ting when things get tough, we should consider Jesus.

Hebrews 12:3-4 (ESV)
³ Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. ⁴ In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

No matter how hard things get for us, we will never have to endure as much as Jesus did. Let us not feel sorry for ourselves when we experience persecution or affliction of any kind, but instead, let us consider Jesus who, unlike us, resisted to the point of shedding His blood. We should emu-late His willingness to suffer.

1 Peter 2:21 (ESV)
²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

We should consider Jesus in everything that we do. He not only was willing to sacrifice and suf-fer, but, He did it while living apart from sin. This was because he desired to do the will of His Fa-ther and to please Him in everything that He did (John 8:29). We should consider Jesus, not only with appreciation and admiration, but also with the specific purpose of imitating His life. After all, this is what being a Christian is all about.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.