By David ReayTuesday 28 May 2019LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 2 minutes
Read Hebrews 12:1-3
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. (NLT)
None of us needs reminding that following Jesus is no picnic. Our scripture today recognises this, and suggests some ways that we can keep running the race when tempted to give up.
We are reminded that we are not alone. Many have gone before us and faced similar, or worse, difficulties. Our own struggles are not unique. In running the Christian race we are somehow cheered on by a vast crowd, who urge us to keep going because they themselves have done so.
And then we are encouraged to get rid of any hindrances – in this case, lingering sin. Some sins we indulge in are like mud clinging to our shoes. They slow us down, they trip us up. We get bogged down just when it is best that we keep moving.
Then, we keep our eyes on Jesus. He launched our faith journey and he helps us see it through to the end. He doesn’t stay at the starting line, or cheer us on from the finish line. He is with us each step of the way. And the struggles we experience mirror the struggles he himself has endured. He came through in the end, which encourages us to believe we too will come through.
He finished the race, so too will we – though not without difficulty. He won; so will we.
Blessings
David
Photo by Emma Simpson, Unsplash