Hebrews 12:1-3
“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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.“
Sometimes running this race seems like an endless hamster wheel. It gets hard to keep resisting the devil. As our culture becomes more and more decadent and more and more obviously anti-Christian, opposition comes from more and more corners. Without a strong faith and a good reason to keep persevering, the temptation to give in and give up the struggle can become overwhelming. The writer of Hebrews knew that this temptation to give in would be a struggle. After all, the early church was not immune to persecutions of many kinds. They were much more serious persecutions than the church in America is currently enduring.
As new believers it was difficult to stand firm in the face of unjust policies and threats of imprisonment and death, but look at what the writer of Hebrews says. He has just listed the honor roll of faith. He has talked about the Old Testament heroes who faced intense pressures to give up and give in while waiting on their promises to be fulfilled and how they persevered. Then he tells the Hebrews to look to those on the list as if they were our cheerleaders. The men and women of faith who went before us are a great cloud of witnesses. They are the crowds sitting in the stands of the Colosseum, watching us run the race that they ran before us. They are calling out encouragement. They have given us their own testimony of God’s faithfulness to hold onto in the midst of our own struggle.
As we hear them cheer us on, let us drop anything that’s holding us back. The sin that so easily entangles, the compromise that tries to hang onto us as we press ahead….let it go! Drop it behind you. Keep running! We move toward that finish line where Jesus stands, and when things get to the point where we feel as if we’re going to break, let us remember what Jesus accomplished. He suffered more than any of us will ever suffer, and He overcame! We have His spirit within us when we become born-again believers. We have His strength and authority available to us. We have Him cheering us on and running alongside us as we complete our race.
So keep running! Keep running! Keep running!
Father, I thank you that you have given us a record of the heroes of faith who went before us. No matter how long it took them to see your promise come to pass in their lives, they kept on believing. They didn’t give up. When I feel discouraged, I can turn to your Word and read their stories and see your faithfulness. If I look to those stories and to Jesus, I will be encouraged to keep on pressing on. Thank you for your Spirit within me that gives me the strength I need to be able to keep on keeping on. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 