Running the Race (Heb. 12:1)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06-25-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Running the race

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 12:1

 

            Meaning of the verse:  “1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”  (NASB)  “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 hinders our progress.  And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.”  (NLT)

            There is a lot of meat in this wonderful verse.  It is a turning point in the book of Hebrews and since it starts with the word “therefore” it refers back to the section that was just written, Hebrews 10:19-11:40.  The cloud of witnesses refers to those great men and women of faith in chapter eleven, but it does not indicate that they are watching us, but rather that we are the ones who have been the witness to what they have done and have learned from their example.  Romans 15:4 is a verse that helps to understand this:  “ For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

            The writer knew something about being an athletic, for in this section he uses athletic terms to make his points.  A runner when he would run a race would take off any excess weight that would slow him down so that he could run his best.  We as believers in Jesus Christ are in a race and we need to take off any excess baggage that would slow us down in our race.  He then gives an example of this weight, which is the sin that so easily entangles us.  Now to understand this sin that he is speaking about what we need to look back again at chapter eleven and identify from there what he is talking about now.  The chapter was about faith, and the opposite of faith is unbelief.  What was the reason that kept the children of Israel out of the promise land, it was the sin of unbelief, and what would they have needed to do to enter into the promise land, they would have needed to believe the Word of God and stand on that, and seen with their eyes of faith instead of their natural eyes.

            The writer then tells us how to run this race that we are in and that is with endurance.  The KJV uses the word patience and Strong’s says of this word:  “1a) in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”  The word swerved means to “change directions,” so a believer is not to change directions, but we are to continually keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, which is written about in the next verse.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look at this sin of unbelief in light of just studying chapter eleven I can now get an idea of why the Lord would consider this a sin that would be very upsetting to Him, and that is because of all of the things that He has done for me, and first on the list is to have taken me from death to life, and then I would not trust Him for the help and strength to keep me going on in the race of life that He has set before me.

 

The Word of God has challenged my heart; it has also convicted my heart concerning unbelief in my life.

 

 My Steps of Faith Today:  To believe what the Lord has told me in His Word and to live by that even if it does not seem like it is the best thing for me at the time, to have faith and not be unbelieving.