Heb 12:1 Do you see what this means--all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running--and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.
Heb 12:2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
Heb 12:3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! THE MESSAGE
Heb 12:2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
Heb 12:3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! THE MESSAGE
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In my reading this morning I came to Hebrews 12. It's an amazing passage that continues the thoughts of chapter 11- the chapter on faith. In the NIV version he says,
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"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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
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This is a grand invitation to add your name to the list of those who have finished well in chapter 11. He even gives us the keys to winning the race- 1. Throw off everything that hinders. That's an individual thing. What hinders you will be different than what hinders me. 2. Get rid of the sin that entangles. Again, that will be something each one has to evaluate. What sin(s) do you struggle with that tangles you up and make you trip? 3. Let us run with perseverance... I have to build up some endurance for this race. As one old friend said, "it's not a sprint, it's a marathon!" and so I have to train for the long race that will take my entire life. And, 4. ...the race that is marked out for us. Each of us has a different race course, a different ministry, a different race to run as God works in our lives. I can't follow your path because my course will be different. That's why it's so important to know what God has called you to do, what race course he has marked out for you. Each of us are running to the same goal, but our paths (our gifts and ministries) will be different.
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I always read more slowly when I come to chapters 11 and 12 because it gives me hope. I see that others have finished well and been praised by God for their faith and life, so I know I can do it too. So, today, once more I put on my marathon shoes and make sure I'm ready for the race today, and run for the prize....keeping my eyes on Jesus who is waiting at the finish line to greet me.
2 comments:
One of the things that makes this passage so awesome is studying each of the lives of all those individuals. They were ordinary people that trusted an extraordinary God and did extraordinary things! And then, like you said, we too can add our names to that list if we too trust in that same God!
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