Hebrews 12:1

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 ~ Hebrews 12:1

Some people believe that those great people of faith that went before us now look down from heaven and cheer us on. I agree with most commentators that it is a metaphor, rather than fact that we are watched from above. Paul is probably thinking of those who witness Olympic Games who come to cheer on the athletes, and uses these words as a reference to the Hero’s of faith mentioned in the previous chapter. We are to live our lives as though we are watched from above by those who have lived a life of faith while here on earth, while not actually being watched. Paul writes about this in Colossians 3:22 where he tells us to not just obey when the earthly person’s eye is on us, but to be obedient with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. And as we are being watched, we run the race before us. We run with the lightness an athlete runs. They start with the clothing and ensure it is lightweight so as not to drag them down. A swimmer will make sure all needless body hair is removed, that is the extreme they will go to in making sure there is no drag on their speed. A runner will buy lightweight shoes for the run, not the typical gym shoe, but a shoe which is like holding on to a feather. And there will be spikes in the bottom, so as to grip the ground effectively. We as Christian’s are to throw off everything that hinders us, and the sin which entangles us. We throw off self-will, and arrogance for God’s will and direction, we throw off anger and rebellion for forgiveness and obedience. These and more are all we throw off so that when we run our race there is nothing which will hold us back from completing our course! Whatever our race may be, and it will be unique to each one of us, we run without stopping or giving up, we run knowing that the finish line is ahead in the heavenly realm, and we run knowing that our reward and our crown will await us there. We run knowing that our Lord is giving us the strength to cross through the tape at the end of the course and to show the world what we can do in Christ and through Christ and for Christ! Run your course, do not give up, fight through the pain and the cramps until you reach the end!
Devotion by Pastor Julia

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