Friday 9th
Hebrews 12:1-2
NIV (vv1-2) – ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
ESV (vv1-2) – ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’
There are two more of those ‘lettuces’ in these verses (see devotion 30th March) they follow on from the catalogue of the heroes of faith in the previous chapter, their stories have been recorded to encourage us and to spur us on in our Christian faith.
They are ‘let us lay aside’ and ‘let us run with endurance’ and we will briefly look at them.
The encouragement tells us to look back to the Old Testament saints as examples, but also to the Lord Jesus Christ, the one on whom we need to keep our eyes fixed.
‘Let us lay aside’ – the author also tells us what it is we are to lay aside or to throw off as the NIV puts it, ‘every weight and sin which clings so closely’. Every weight is referring to all those things that way us down spiritually, it can be our cares, our worries, our burdens, our anxieties, anything that hinders us in our Christian life, it also refers to those things that we may be carrying such as unforgiveness, bitterness, jealously which also will hinder us and weigh us down, and the sin which we know is anything in our lives that should not be in the lives of believers, habits we hang onto, behaviour that needs adjusting, things we are involved with that are not becoming to a child of God, these things will hinder us and will weigh us down, and if we are not careful, cause us to fall by the way side, and to not finish the race. Thankfully Jesus has invited us to cast all our cares, our worries and anxiety upon him, (1 Peter 5:7) he will deal with these things for us and we ourselves need to give up or to let go of the sin that besets us, we need to live lives that are according to the Spirit and not of the flesh, we need to walk uprightly and righteously, living according to the standards that the Word of God sets for us rather than the morals and the standard we see in the world around us.
‘Let us run with endurance’ run what with endurance? ‘the race that is set before us.’ The word endurance is translated as perseverance in the NIV, patience in the KJV, in my mind I picture myself as an example at the start of a race, the starting pistol went off that Sunday evening way back on the 18th of May 1969 when I gave my life over to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I left the starting blocks to run the race with endurance, the finishing line was way ahead in front of me, back then I had no idea how long my race would be, but there is one thing for sure after 52 years it must be getting closer. Back then I knew what I was doing, I understood enough about the gospel to know I was a sinner and that Christ Jesus had come into this world to save sinners, in a personal way, he came to save me. But having made that decision I had no idea what would lie ahead, I had no idea how the race would be run, except that it needed to be with endurance, perseverance, or patience. I can honestly say that since I left the starting blocks there has never been a moment when I have questioned the decision I had made, but there have been many occasions when I have questioned the direction I have needed to take, but the important thing has been to ensure as the writer continues to say that it has involved running with my eyes fixed upon, looking to Jesus.
To be honest when I look back to the crowd of witnesses and see what they had to endure, so far, my race has been relatively easy! But it doesn’t mean that there have not been those moments when the going has been tough, but thank God the one who is at the finishing line, is our daily provider, granting us the strength, the sustenance that we need to keep going. It is a little like when you are watching a marathon,(or running one as it might be for some of you – but not me!) every now and again there are folk handing out water for the runner to grab and drink on the run, and our Lord Jesus has his helpers all along the race side, who hand to us the help we need, it may have been a word of Scripture, it may have been a word of encouragement, a word of prayer, it may have been a number of different things. But they have spurred us on to keep us going as we run toward the prize. And of course, there is the crowd of witnesses, their example cheering us on.
May we lay aside every weight and sin and may we keep running with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith, weighed down at the moment, then get rid of whatever is weighing you down, lagging at the moment, then reach out for some help, get some grace and mercy to help you in your time of need.