When I say the word “consider”, what images come to mind?

We have a lot of things vying for our attention, crying out for us to consider them as an option, to give them more than a passing glance as their advertisements fly in and out of our awareness. Our lives are often so hurried—so full—that we hardly have any time to consider much of anything.

But perhaps you have had a big life decision you’ve considered in more depth:

• where to go for college;
• whether to apply for a new job, to move, to retire;
• or maybe the hour-long process of deciding where to eat.

That said, there is a type of considering that is often missing in our lives. The type of considering I’m talking about is when we stand watching a waterfall, when we take in the Grand Canyon, or when we sit and watch a child for an hour as they explore, discover, and play.

It’s a considering that slowly surveys our surroundings, asks questions about it, ponders it, wonders at it, and even alters how we live.

So, what do I want to call you to today? Simply this: Consider Jesus.

The author of the book of Hebrews uses this phrase. In chapter 3 verse 1, he says, “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him…”

For some here today, perhaps you don’t know Jesus. Don’t hear this call to “consider Jesus” as though Jesus was stuck behind a pew in a corner, waving at you like an advertiser trying to get you to consider Him for a fleeting moment. He is not weak, He does not beg, and He is not simply an option or choice among many.

But whether you don’t know Jesus yet or you do belong to Him, the call is the same:

• slow down,
• ponder Him,
• thoughtfully observe Him,
• pause to understand Him,
• something about Him,
• something that He has done or is doing or has promised He will do.

The book of Hebrews gives us so many examples of this:

• Consider Jesus, who is greater than angels, seated at the right hand of God.
• Consider Jesus, who is the great, sympathetic High Priest and Mediator between us and God.
• Consider Jesus, who understands our weakness and temptation and helps in our time of need.
• Consider Jesus, who is the great sacrificial Lamb of God, who took our place and hung on a cross to pay our debt of sin.

Some of you may be in a season of life where this is challenging, where slowing down to consider Jesus seems almost impossible when kids are crying out for your attention, or work or school deadlines are pressing in. Even pausing for just a few seconds, taking a deep breath, and considering His love for us can nourish our weary souls.

Oh, how often we hurry in the busyness of our lives and give no thought to Jesus, when He should be the fullness of our thought.