Training camp is less than a week away! It’s crazy to think how fast time flies by. It feels like just yesterday that it was August and I was getting excited about the routes being released so I could choose one to apply for. Now, I’ve been accepted, the countries have been announced, the gear is packed, school is finished, training camp is next week, and launch is soon to follow. Wow, a year has gone by in a hurry.
Training camp is next week! I’m excited to finally meet the team in person. But underlying all this excitement and anticipation, there’s one big question that I think almost every racer deals with at this point… am I good enough? Do I deserve to be here? Will, I be accepted by my team? I know I’ve faced these questions and wonder this very thing. But amid these doubts and questions God has given me one thing to cling to that I want to share and encourage you with.
This year I’ve been reading through Hebrews. At winter conference this year one of the speakers shared how she has recently been making one book in the bible the “book of the year”. This entails doing an in-depth study on one book for the entire year. Inspired, I decided to study Hebrews. I bought a couple books and commentaries and have been reading through slowly, repetitively, and thinking deeply on the words as I go. I’m learning it’s a very slow process, but in the process, I’ve become more aware of the fine details that I so often miss because I never take the time to really let God’s word soak in. This week, as I’m worrying about training camp, preparation, and whether I’m qualified, these verses I kept coming back to.
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 5:7-10
There’s two parts to this that I’ve found comfort in the last week.
One, Jesus felt the same human emotion and pain that I go through. He cried out fervently! He didn’t want to die, he didn’t want suffering, but he wrestled with his humanity and cried out to the Lord! “Father, if there is any other way you know that I would choose that over this!” But, through his reverence for the Lord, He was driven to obedience. He was human and through His humanity, God qualified Him to be our Great High Priest.
Second, God in himself, is not qualified to be our high priest. The very quality of the high priest is the ability to sympathize and share in the weakness of those he represents. God wasn’t qualified! That really blew my mind. Jesus, even though he is the very Son of God, is God, only became qualified to become our representative because of all the suffering that he went through. He knows what it’s like, He’s been in our spot, He knows humanity not just a little but to its fullest. Therefore, He can rightly represent all mankind before God. But he had to learn it, he had to be qualified before he could be appointed to that great position.
In the same way, God has reminded me that I’m not qualified. No sugar coating. I’m not. But, He promises that through experience and through trial He will continue to test my character and prepare me for the things He calls me to. Even Jesus had to go through training. But once His training was complete, once he was made perfect through suffering, then He inherited His great reward and stepped into his role as our Great High Priest, appointed by God forever.
This also is our story if we choose it. Being a disciple means we are going to be continually tested and continually trained for the inheritance that is to come. We have a great salvation coming, but we aren’t yet ready for it. Someday, Christ is returning and there is a great feast waiting, but in the meantime we are to prepare ourselves through spiritual training.
I want to talk to my Z-Squad family for just a minute. I know some of you are worrying about the same things. Am I good enough? Where do I fit on this team? I don’t feel strong enough to be a part of this team… Listen, we probably aren’t good enough. In fact, I know each one of us is lacking in some way. But this next week and the next year, God is going to be training and stretching each one of us for great things. Even better, He is going to be training and stretching us together as a team and family to learn to better love one another. Enjoy the process! Look forward to the growth that is going to come. Don’t worry about being good enough but commit to growing and training. We probably aren’t strong enough today but that’s the point. We dig in deep and learn to love one another through the rough days. Jesus also learned obedience through his experience. We have a great mission before us and I know that God is going to prepare us at training camp for launch and he’s going to teach us things in month 1 that prepare us for month 5. There are things that He has taught you over your entire life that have specifically prepared you for work that He has for you on this trip. Maybe we don’t find that out until month 7, but it’s there. I seriously cannot wait to meet you all and spend the next year serving and living together!
Back to the main point. We are qualified through our experience. Don’t believe me?
- Jesus was qualified for High Priest through his suffering and humanity.
- Abraham was qualified to be the father of the children of faith through a life (100+ years) of living completely by faith. He wouldn’t have been very qualified if He had everything given to him on a plate and had a hundred kids. Instead, God gave him a ridiculous promise and qualified him through his faith in trusting that promise would come true, even if he never saw it, even if it meant giving up his only son.
- Moses was qualified for leading a new nation because he went through the training of living with Pharaoh. Seriously, there probably wasn’t a more qualified leader for a new nation than someone with the background of being a son to the Numero Uno of Egypt (He knew what leaders do). Then, He lived in exile before returning to lead God’s people out of Egypt. Guess who also had to live in exile in the desert because they didn’t listen… the Israelites, with Moses as their leader. He was prepared.
- Joseph lived many years as a manager of Potiphar’s house… then the prison… before finally stepping into his role as manager of Egypt.
- Joshua was a warrior under Moses, a mighty man of valor, before stepping up to command the Lord’s army and conquer the promise land. He probably wouldn’t have been great in Josephs place but he was well qualified for war.
- David’s story didn’t start with Goliath. It started with the Lion and the Bear.
- Jonah ran away and got swallowed by a fish. Then He became a prophet to Nineveh who had a primary god named Dagon: the fish god. He was qualified to tell the fish people who the real God was.
- The Disciples were qualified to take the gospel to the ends of the earth because they were eye witnesses to Christs ministry.
- Paul was qualified to take the message of grace to the ends of the earth because he was first and foremost the greatest recipient of grace.
Over and over the message seems clear. God is sovereign over each of these stories. He placed things in their lives 40 years, 80 years before they even happened to qualify and prepare them for what is to come.
Training camp, the world race, might just be a 40-year advance on what God is calling me to in life.
Then as I’m going over Hebrews 5 again and again, this also came to me:
We are qualified to receive grace. You don’t get grace if there’s nothing to give grace for. So, embrace your weakness and receive God’s grace. He will comfort and strengthen you. His grace truly is enough. Just as each and every one of the people above were qualified for their purpose, they were also were qualified for grace because of their many short comings.
You will be qualified, and you will receive grace in your short comings.
I’ve been encouraged by Hebrews 5 this week. We aren’t naturally qualified, but God will qualify us through the experiences He takes us through. Hebrews 5 ends with this:
“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Righteousness doesn’t just happen. We must be intentional and train, then we will learn God’s will. Training camp is just that. The first step in being intentional about discipleship and growth on the race.
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”
Luke 16:10
With Faith, Hope, and Love
Nathan
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