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"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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Anyone who knows anything at all about running, especially sprinting, knows that you must set your gaze upon the finish line and make it the object of your determined attention. As a baseball player who is attempting to stretch a single into a double is exhorted to set his focus upon the base into which he is going, so the runner is urged to watch the finish line! For a runner to look at those who are running around him is to lose not only his concentration but his pace in running. Those who do so will invariably slow down whether running a base path or a track in a race.
The Greek verb here translated "fixing our eyes" means literally look away toward intently in the sense of fixing one's focus upon some distant object. Do you recall Jesus' words to Simon Peter when he questioned the Lord about what John's future was to be?
"Jesus said to him, 'If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!'" (John 21:22)
Very simply, Peter wanted to know how John was to run his race and Jesus responded by telling Peter not to watch John's race but rather to run his own! We are too easily distracted in our race for personal holiness, beloved, when we start looking to see what someone nearby may be doing or not doing. How we need to learn to run our own race in life!
Standing at the finish line, in the sense of this passage, is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who must become the object of our desire, the ultimate reason for which we run the race. The reality of life for each of us, beloved, is that our race will end either when He calls us home or when He returns in glory for His bride, the Church. But until either of these events is accomplished, we must keep our eyes on the finish line and not allow anything to deter us in our running.
And what of the example that Jesus Himself established for us to follow? The fact that the writer here says that He "endured the cross, despising the shame" is another way of saying that Jesus has run His own race and has run it successfully. Motivated by "the joy set before Him" - the satisfaction of redeeming you and me - Jesus bore it all, crossed His own finish line and became our Redeemer. Now He patiently and lovingly encourages you and me to run our own race with faithfulness and to keep our eyes upon Him.
Is your gaze on the finish line, beloved? If not, let me urge you to "look away" to Jesus! He's all the motivation that we need to finish our course and to keep the faith!
Ron
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Running with Endurance
"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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3)
The notion that an athlete would enter a race and then not "run" is absolutely unthinkable, beloved! Just as unthinkable is the notion that such a runner might run with all his might, but then for some reason stop short of the finish line and not complete the race! As we return to our consideration of the Scripture call to run the race of holiness, let's discover a second key command that we have from God through the writer of the book of Hebrews.
The Greek verb trecho, meaning "run," appears here in the present active tense and could well be translated as "keep on running." As noted already, no race of any kind, literal or figurative, means anything if you never cross the finish line. As an avid golfer, I am all too familiar with the old adage about putts that never reach the cup - "never up, never in!"
In this race of life, beloved, my race is not your race and yours is not that of any other believer. Each of us must run his or her own race of holiness in life and the true joy lies in finishing the race! As the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about his own impending crossing of that finish line:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7)
But this writer not only has urged us to "keep running," beloved. He also urges us to "keep running" with endurance. The Greek word hupomone means literally "a bearing up under" in the sense of something that is not going to be easy. Actually, the believer's race is less like a trip around a smooth and level oval track than it is like a cross-country venture. We face obstacles of all kinds in our race for personal holiness. At times it may be flat and easy, but more times than not it will be hilly and tough. The key for us lies in determining that, come what may, we are going to finish the race!
What is your own personal determination-level set at today, beloved? Are you bent on not only running steadfastly but on finishing the race? Do you face those inevitable obstacles along the way with courage and even daring? Do you get beyond them by the power of your faith in Christ and your commitment to His cause? Let me not only urge you again to run, but to keep running until the end is gained!
Ron
The notion that an athlete would enter a race and then not "run" is absolutely unthinkable, beloved! Just as unthinkable is the notion that such a runner might run with all his might, but then for some reason stop short of the finish line and not complete the race! As we return to our consideration of the Scripture call to run the race of holiness, let's discover a second key command that we have from God through the writer of the book of Hebrews.
The Greek verb trecho, meaning "run," appears here in the present active tense and could well be translated as "keep on running." As noted already, no race of any kind, literal or figurative, means anything if you never cross the finish line. As an avid golfer, I am all too familiar with the old adage about putts that never reach the cup - "never up, never in!"
In this race of life, beloved, my race is not your race and yours is not that of any other believer. Each of us must run his or her own race of holiness in life and the true joy lies in finishing the race! As the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about his own impending crossing of that finish line:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7)
But this writer not only has urged us to "keep running," beloved. He also urges us to "keep running" with endurance. The Greek word hupomone means literally "a bearing up under" in the sense of something that is not going to be easy. Actually, the believer's race is less like a trip around a smooth and level oval track than it is like a cross-country venture. We face obstacles of all kinds in our race for personal holiness. At times it may be flat and easy, but more times than not it will be hilly and tough. The key for us lies in determining that, come what may, we are going to finish the race!
What is your own personal determination-level set at today, beloved? Are you bent on not only running steadfastly but on finishing the race? Do you face those inevitable obstacles along the way with courage and even daring? Do you get beyond them by the power of your faith in Christ and your commitment to His cause? Let me not only urge you again to run, but to keep running until the end is gained!
Ron
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Stripping Down for the Race
"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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3)
We have all seen athletes running up and down the sidelines before a track and field event, beloved, wearing those very familiar "warm-up" togs that they use to keep their muscles relaxed and warm before toeing the mark for their event. And we have also seen them, when that moment comes to compete, strip off those same warm-up suits and get ready to actually run the race. As we return to our consideration of this glorious passage of Scripture, we look this week at the first of four specific commands given to us as believers as we "run the race" of our own personal pursuit of holiness.
Here the Greek word onkos means literally "bulk" or "mass" and refers to any weight that is carried around by anyone. As we have already seen, the athlete competing in a race does not want to have to carry with him any more weight than is absolutely necessary. In such competitions, beloved, even ounces of extra weight make a difference! That is why he is so careful to "strip down" to a proper competitive weight and trimness for his event. As Christians we need to be concerned about those items that we lug around with us as we seek to live for Jesus Christ. What is important here is for us to understand that such things, while not inherently sinful, may nonetheless become real impediments to our success as believers.
Sometimes such an "encumbrance" might take the form of a relationship that is not edifying to us or glorifying to God. It might also be guised in the form of a particular entertainment that we enjoy which in actuality brings God no glory. Such an encumbrance could also be an organizational affiliation that hinders our witness because it hinders our walk. Or it might just be any of a number of personal habits that simply get in the way of our running the race of life.
This writer next goes on to say that we must also lay aside the "sin" which so easily entangles us. The Greek word euperistatos means literally "standing well around" in the figurative sense of anything which wraps itself around us and impedes our spiritual progress. Can you imagine, for example, one of the Olympic swimmers toeing the mark on his platform at the end of the pool and clad still in his bathrobe? The nature of such "sin," unfortunately, is that usually the more harmless it seems to us the more entangling it becomes!
Whatever form they might take, beloved, such encumbrances are a burden to us and a hindrance to what the Spirit of God is attempting to accomplish in our lives. The writer of Hebrews tells us as those who seek to be holy in our manner in this world that we need to "lay aside" any and every such weight. They simply have no place in a committed Christian's life!
How are you running your race of holiness, beloved? Are you trying to run with your warm-up suit still in place? Do you have ankle weights that are holding you back? Then let you urge you to first of all identify them clearly and then strip them off! In order to run the race of holiness successfully, we must be ready to run that race. Strip down, beloved! And, once again, run for all you are worth!
Ron
We have all seen athletes running up and down the sidelines before a track and field event, beloved, wearing those very familiar "warm-up" togs that they use to keep their muscles relaxed and warm before toeing the mark for their event. And we have also seen them, when that moment comes to compete, strip off those same warm-up suits and get ready to actually run the race. As we return to our consideration of this glorious passage of Scripture, we look this week at the first of four specific commands given to us as believers as we "run the race" of our own personal pursuit of holiness.
Here the Greek word onkos means literally "bulk" or "mass" and refers to any weight that is carried around by anyone. As we have already seen, the athlete competing in a race does not want to have to carry with him any more weight than is absolutely necessary. In such competitions, beloved, even ounces of extra weight make a difference! That is why he is so careful to "strip down" to a proper competitive weight and trimness for his event. As Christians we need to be concerned about those items that we lug around with us as we seek to live for Jesus Christ. What is important here is for us to understand that such things, while not inherently sinful, may nonetheless become real impediments to our success as believers.
Sometimes such an "encumbrance" might take the form of a relationship that is not edifying to us or glorifying to God. It might also be guised in the form of a particular entertainment that we enjoy which in actuality brings God no glory. Such an encumbrance could also be an organizational affiliation that hinders our witness because it hinders our walk. Or it might just be any of a number of personal habits that simply get in the way of our running the race of life.
This writer next goes on to say that we must also lay aside the "sin" which so easily entangles us. The Greek word euperistatos means literally "standing well around" in the figurative sense of anything which wraps itself around us and impedes our spiritual progress. Can you imagine, for example, one of the Olympic swimmers toeing the mark on his platform at the end of the pool and clad still in his bathrobe? The nature of such "sin," unfortunately, is that usually the more harmless it seems to us the more entangling it becomes!
Whatever form they might take, beloved, such encumbrances are a burden to us and a hindrance to what the Spirit of God is attempting to accomplish in our lives. The writer of Hebrews tells us as those who seek to be holy in our manner in this world that we need to "lay aside" any and every such weight. They simply have no place in a committed Christian's life!
How are you running your race of holiness, beloved? Are you trying to run with your warm-up suit still in place? Do you have ankle weights that are holding you back? Then let you urge you to first of all identify them clearly and then strip them off! In order to run the race of holiness successfully, we must be ready to run that race. Strip down, beloved! And, once again, run for all you are worth!
Ron
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Run! Run! Run!
"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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Anyone who has any ongoing interest in track and field, beloved, especially at the Olympic level, will surely remember gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson and his "gold" track shoes! I will never forget watching those gold shoes flying around that track in record time, passing runner after runner.
Though I have never myself competed in any kind of foot race, the writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that we are all as Christians involved in our own "race" for personal holiness. Nor is this a race of our own choosing, but rather one that God has "set before us," just as the race that Jesus ran in His own earthly life was also "set before Him." Over the next several blog posts, beloved, I would like to share with you four specific commands of God related to how you and I can insure that we run our race faithfully and successfully.
Just as an introduction to such a "mini-series" of devotionals, however, imagine if all of the faithful saints who have gone on before were able to watch us moment by moment and note how we are living as Christians. Imagine also if you knew that they were watching! Scripture does not teach us that such is happening - let's be clear about that. But this "great cloud of witnesses" has left for us a tremendous example that is ever before us. Or to put it in track and field terms, they have "set the bar high" for us to follow.
Think of the patriarchs and the prophets of God, the apostles themselves and the preachers and missionaries who have faithfully run their race before us. Think of every saint of God who has served Jesus Christ through times of trouble and times of blessing. Think of every believer who has taken their turn in the vineyard, who has "toed the mark" on the track and run steadfastly the race that God has set before them.
Now understand, beloved, that it is our time to run. You have your own lane in which to run and your own finish line to cross. What will the next generation say, should Jesus tarry, about the way in which you have run your race and I mine? Will they be able to praise God for our faithfulness even as we today praise God for the faithfulness of those who have gone before us?
I invite you to drop by each week as we consider the four commands of God that I mentioned earlier here. Learn all that you can about this glorious race of life, this race for personal holiness, and allow the Spirit of God to speak to your heart about your own running of that race. The saints gone ahead may not be watching, but I assure you that a lost world is! Run, beloved, run! Run well!
Ron
Anyone who has any ongoing interest in track and field, beloved, especially at the Olympic level, will surely remember gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson and his "gold" track shoes! I will never forget watching those gold shoes flying around that track in record time, passing runner after runner.
Though I have never myself competed in any kind of foot race, the writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that we are all as Christians involved in our own "race" for personal holiness. Nor is this a race of our own choosing, but rather one that God has "set before us," just as the race that Jesus ran in His own earthly life was also "set before Him." Over the next several blog posts, beloved, I would like to share with you four specific commands of God related to how you and I can insure that we run our race faithfully and successfully.
Just as an introduction to such a "mini-series" of devotionals, however, imagine if all of the faithful saints who have gone on before were able to watch us moment by moment and note how we are living as Christians. Imagine also if you knew that they were watching! Scripture does not teach us that such is happening - let's be clear about that. But this "great cloud of witnesses" has left for us a tremendous example that is ever before us. Or to put it in track and field terms, they have "set the bar high" for us to follow.
Think of the patriarchs and the prophets of God, the apostles themselves and the preachers and missionaries who have faithfully run their race before us. Think of every saint of God who has served Jesus Christ through times of trouble and times of blessing. Think of every believer who has taken their turn in the vineyard, who has "toed the mark" on the track and run steadfastly the race that God has set before them.
Now understand, beloved, that it is our time to run. You have your own lane in which to run and your own finish line to cross. What will the next generation say, should Jesus tarry, about the way in which you have run your race and I mine? Will they be able to praise God for our faithfulness even as we today praise God for the faithfulness of those who have gone before us?
I invite you to drop by each week as we consider the four commands of God that I mentioned earlier here. Learn all that you can about this glorious race of life, this race for personal holiness, and allow the Spirit of God to speak to your heart about your own running of that race. The saints gone ahead may not be watching, but I assure you that a lost world is! Run, beloved, run! Run well!
Ron
Friday, May 20, 2011
Surviving = Overcoming
"He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21)
I was reminded this week of the relationship between "surviving" and "overcoming," beloved, as Bev and I attended the annual Survivors' Banquet for victims of cancer. As I think about her own battle with breast cancer and the reality that she is, indeed, an 11-year survivor, I cannot help but think of her as a true "overcomer"!
In Jesus' words to the 7 churches of Asia, He repeated this conditional phrase in each case - "he who overcomes." When we think of "overcoming," we think instantly of ultimate victory, of enduring to the end, of winning a battle. Yet when we think of "surviving" we only think of getting by or of just making it through somehow, as in "I can't believe I survived another week at work!" It has occurred to me, beloved, that they actually express one and the same thought.
In the case of any person's battle with disease, to be a "survivor" is to be victorious. It is to be an overcomer. And in our spiritual walk before the world, to "survive" is to win the ultimate victory against Satan, to walk in such a way that people can see Jesus Christ in us. In John's letters to the 7 churches, we find wonderful promises for all true overcomers, for all true survivors. Consider them with me briefly:
"To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7)
"He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death" (Revelation 2:11b)
"To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it" (Revelation 2:17b)
"And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations" (Revelation 2:26)
"He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5)
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name" (Revelation 3:12)
Are you a spiritual "survivor," beloved? If so, then you are one of God's "overcomers"! His Word makes it clear that only those who endure to the end will truly be saved. Faith in Jesus Christ is not a mere moment in time, beloved - a bent knee, a bowed head, a dip into the baptismal pool and a name on a church roll - it is a life of faithfulness, a steady consistent walk in obedience to Christ and to the leading of the Holy Spirit within. To be a "survivor" is, then, the essence of what it means to be a Christian!
Ron
I was reminded this week of the relationship between "surviving" and "overcoming," beloved, as Bev and I attended the annual Survivors' Banquet for victims of cancer. As I think about her own battle with breast cancer and the reality that she is, indeed, an 11-year survivor, I cannot help but think of her as a true "overcomer"!
In Jesus' words to the 7 churches of Asia, He repeated this conditional phrase in each case - "he who overcomes." When we think of "overcoming," we think instantly of ultimate victory, of enduring to the end, of winning a battle. Yet when we think of "surviving" we only think of getting by or of just making it through somehow, as in "I can't believe I survived another week at work!" It has occurred to me, beloved, that they actually express one and the same thought.
In the case of any person's battle with disease, to be a "survivor" is to be victorious. It is to be an overcomer. And in our spiritual walk before the world, to "survive" is to win the ultimate victory against Satan, to walk in such a way that people can see Jesus Christ in us. In John's letters to the 7 churches, we find wonderful promises for all true overcomers, for all true survivors. Consider them with me briefly:
"To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7)
"He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death" (Revelation 2:11b)
"To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it" (Revelation 2:17b)
"And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations" (Revelation 2:26)
"He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5)
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name" (Revelation 3:12)
Are you a spiritual "survivor," beloved? If so, then you are one of God's "overcomers"! His Word makes it clear that only those who endure to the end will truly be saved. Faith in Jesus Christ is not a mere moment in time, beloved - a bent knee, a bowed head, a dip into the baptismal pool and a name on a church roll - it is a life of faithfulness, a steady consistent walk in obedience to Christ and to the leading of the Holy Spirit within. To be a "survivor" is, then, the essence of what it means to be a Christian!
Ron
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