Popular In Heaven, Famous In HellSýnishorn

DAY TWO: Go Outside Your Camp  

Jesus was crucified outside the gate of the city of Jerusalem. Why? The Jews crucifying Jesus outside the city continued an ancient practice of putting undesirable people outside the camp. It was sometimes a form of punishment. Whatever would be unclean was put outside the camp.

However, what Jesus was doing was very holy indeed. He suffered “to make the people holy through his own blood” (v. 12). We therefore honor what Jesus did for us by likewise going to Him “outside the city.” It is a way of showing we are unashamed of the blood, the cross, and that we gladly identify with the disgrace He bore.

If you truly seek the glory of God, begin your journey by going outside the camp. This may mean going outside the circle of your friends. It may mean going outside the company of the majority. Those who choose the glory of God over the praise that comes from people are popular in heaven. You may not be popular on earth. You may have to part from friends, relatives, and those who are held in high esteem—even your mentors. Going outside the camp means to bear the stigma—the offense that inevitably comes from following the Lord closely.