‘Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US’, Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1.
We do not know who the author of this letter in the New Testament of the Bible was; however, it is clear that the Christian readers of it were having a tough time of it. Any true Christian will tell you that the Christian pathway is not an easy one. There will be times of testing, suffering, persecution and, sometimes, doubt. These readers had experienced all of these things and some were even beginning to doubt whether they had done the right thing in trusting Christ as their Saviour; indeed, they were beginning to lose patience and draw back.
There have already been similar feelings on the part of some of the participants in the current Olympic Games; indeed, there are those who, for a variety of reasons have withdrawn from their race or event.
It may well be that there are some believers reading this meditation on Hope4Bath, who are facing similar pressures. The writer of this letter gives his readers some sound advice, which is as applicable today as when he wrote it:
FOCUS ON YOURSELF, verse 1:
- get rid of the hindrances, even though some may seem harmless and legitimate
- get rid of the sin that surrounds you and clings to you
- control your impatience – the ‘race’ is a marathon, not a sprint!
FOCUS ON JESUS, verse 2 – CONSIDER HIM!
- He is the perfect example – He has walked and completed the pathway of faith – no runner in a race has suffered as He did – His eye was always fixed on the joy that was before Him
- He is the author (leader) & finisher (completer) of faith – He took up the strands left by the great men of faith that went before Him – they did not reach their final goal BUT HE DID!
ABOVE ALL – BE PATIENT! DON’T GIVE UP! STAY FOCUSED!