Then, I read 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. 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
My Understanding: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…” The witnesses spoken of here are the saints who have gone before us, many of whom were mentioned in the previous chapter, commonly known as the “faith chapter” of the Bible, Hebrews 11. We learned there that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, and this is what the saints of old were commended for. It requires no faith if we can see everything before us. We don’t know all that the future holds for us. Plans can change, even at the last minute. So, our hope and trust must be in the Lord Jesus, in his word, in the hope of our salvation, and in our eternity with God.
The saints of old stepped out in faith and did what they believed God was prompting them to do in their spirits, even if they didn’t know where they were going or where this was all going to lead them in this life. They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on this earth. They knew this world was not their home, and they longed for their heavenly dwelling. God was not ashamed to be called their God, for he had prepared a city for them, an eternal home with him in glory, the scripture says. Some of these saints of old “faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith…” And, many since then have experienced the same for their Lord Jesus Christ.
Run with Perseverance
Recently I participated in a Walk for Alzheimer’s with some members of my family. One of my daughters-in-law had just lost her grandfather to that disease. My husband’s father has the disease, as well. Interestingly enough, the two men shared the same first and middle names. We were walking to raise money and awareness to help find a cure for the disease. And, at the end of the walk, there were people standing there on both sides of the path, applauding us and cheering us on for having made it to the finish line. I immediately thought of this verse in Hebrews 12 about the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on to make it to the finish line in our race. They serve as great encouragers to us through their inspiring testimonies as to the power of faith (proved genuine) and of God’s faithfulness. They serve as great examples to us of what faith truly means, which is faith in action.
Because we have these great examples of faith and perseverance, especially of those who suffered greatly for their faith and who did not give up, we should throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us. If a runner is carrying too much weight, it can slow him down, so the idea is to lighten the load so as to be able to run freely without hindrance. I took note of the fact that sin is listed separately from “everything that hinders,” so this is not just speaking of getting rid of sin in our lives. Sometimes good things can be a distraction from us running the race, too. We can fill our lives with all kinds of good activities, yet if they keep us from hearing the Lord, and from obeying what he has called us to do, then even the good things serve as hindrances to our faith and perseverance. So, we must throw off all things that are barriers, including and most importantly getting rid of sins in our lives, and we must run the race marked out for us with perseverance.
We can learn about this race marked out for us and what it means to run it by reading the Bible, in particular the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Bible. We can’t run the race by the rules if we don’t know what the rules are. And, we can’t know what God expects of us if we don’t read his word daily and seek his face for how practically his word is to be applied to our daily lives. And, we can’t do what the word teaches us if we are holding on to sin, and/or if we are not willing to obey. We can read the word for knowledge. We can read it out of habit or duty. But, we must read it prayerfully, asking the Lord for understanding, through praying about specific situations in our lives, and then in asking the Holy Spirit to speak directly to those situations through his word. We should allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to where we should be reading in scripture. I believe we should read in context (chapter by chapter) as much as is possible, and we should not just be flipping pages with no direction, or going to specific passages that give us the answers we want to hear. And, we can’t obey if we look into the mirror and then walk away and forget what we look like. So, journaling helps, too, so that we have a record of how God has spoken to us, how he has answered our prayers, and what he requires of us.
We, as well, must stay focused on the goal. If a runner gets distracted by things happening on the sidelines and he keeps wandering off to see what else is going on, he will never win any races. We must be resolute in our commitments to stay the course and to obey our Lord Jesus Christ in all that he requires of us to be and to do. He, most importantly, serves as an awesome example to us of perseverance in running the race. He was/is God, and yet he left his throne in heaven to take on human flesh, to suffer as we suffer, to be tempted of Satan, yet without sin, to be persecuted, forsaken, rejected, betrayed, mocked and beaten, and then to be hung on a cross as a common criminal. Yet, he did this all “for the joy set before him.” The joy was/is the joy of our salvation and our freedom from sin and our restoration to a right relationship with God. And, we should run the race God has marked out for us, persecutions and beatings included, for the same reason, including for the salvation of others. We are to consider what Jesus did for us and how he endured such opposition from sinful men, so that when we face the same kind of opposition, we do not grow weary and lose heart, but we persevere and run the race marked out for us by God.
Fear Not! / An Original Work / October 20, 2011
Based off of Philippians 4
Rejoice in the Lord!
Gentle be always.
The Lord is near you.
Fear not in all things.
But in ev’rything
By prayer, with thanksgiving,
Share your requests.
God will guard your hearts
With His peace always.
Think about these things:
Whate’er is honest;
Pure and is lovely;
And is praiseworthy.
Whate’er you have learned,
Or you have received, or
You heard from Christ,
Make it your practice.
God will be with you.
I can do all things
Through Him who gives strength.
Whate’er I go through,
Satisfied I’ll be.
My God will meet all
My needs according to
His riches in
Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Praise Him forever!
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at (free):
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/fear-not
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oZOuR7S8eY
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