Do Not Grow Weary

Friday, June 15, 2018

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,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
For the joy set before him he 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 sinners,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV

Remember that Jesus endured intense opposition here. He was blameless and didn’t deserve such treatment. We, on the other hand, are flawed and sinful. We should expect opposition from all directions. 

As we focus on Jesus, we are reminded that He doesn’t just give us arbitrary directions on how to run this race. He was knee-deep in it, Himself. He can relate to our struggles and our temptation to throw in the towel. But because He triumphed, we have the perfect runner after whom to pattern our race. And the perfect roadmap — God’s word. 

So it’s pretty much up to us to use the resources available to us and to put our training and race-running into motion. It does me no good to join 12 gyms if I park myself on my couch every day. Likewise it does us no good to learn the racecourse, analyze the perfect runner, and learn His word if we don’t put it into action. 

The Great Cloud of Witnesses – The Pen of Christian Inkwell. lwharper.wordpress.com