"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
Hebrews 12:1
Part 3
Yesterday: Hindering Weights and Sins
“Let us lay aside every weight.” (b)
Weights, unnecessary “encumbrances,” always slow down the believer in the race.
“And the sin which doth so easily beset us.”
Coddling sin also makes the believer ineffective in his/her race.
Today: Enduring, Till the Finish Line, is Crossed
“And let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
When we have cleared up the “weights” and “sins,” those “encumbrances” in our lives, we are better able to run. And believers, as we keep on moving, we need to be running our appointed race with patience (endurance), just as the believers in Hebrews 11 did in running theirs.[1]
“Endurance translates the ancient Greek word hupomone, ‘which does not mean the patience which sits down and accepts things but the patience which masters them… It is a determination, unhurrying and yet undelaying, which goes steadily on and refuses to be deflected’”[2] (Barclay).
We need to master our running. It does not take much endurance to run the 50-yard dash. It only lasts a matter of seconds, and it is over. But the marathon is not the same! Perseverance is the most essential requirement needed to run so far and so long. If the runner does not have the mindset to endure, they will fail, for that outcome is predictable. Do not think that you can sit out the race, just watching the other racers. This is never an option for God’s child.
Believers, we need to have the mindset that our life’s race is a marathon, not a sprint. We keep our eyes ever on the goal, our dear Lord Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). He will make all the sufferings of our endurance worthwhile.
The prophet Jeremiah experienced many trials in his life’s race. And the Lord “reproved his impatience” and showed him that he needed to be ready to endure for even more hardship from his brethren. The Lord’s words challenged his heart,
“If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5).
More challenging times are coming (2 Timothy 3). If our strength and patience fail in simpler times, what will happen when things in life worsen? Drawing on perseverance is never easy, and it is personally challenging, and in certain conditions, may even be dangerous. Still, it is needed for us to run our best for His glory. Runners, remember where your strength comes from!
Quote: “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31). Amen!
[1] See Vincent in Hebrews 12:1. M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Barclay’s quote is borrowed from Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword (Emphasis his.)