I was not a big fan of running when I was younger. As a matter of fact, I despised it! Running track in High School was not at the top of my list of sports to try out for. Running short or long distance was not appealing to me unless a football was involved. But as I have grown older I've come to appreciate and even enjoy, running. I was running about 3 miles a day, 5 days a week for about 6 months. All of this stopped when my back went out. My doctor told me that with my condition, I should not run anymore. It was too "high impact" for my back so I bought an elliptical machine and I exercise with it now.
When I was able I found that after 15-20 minutes into the run I was ready to quit but I would push my way through mentally and finish the run. It was as if I had to break through a barrier or remove a weight that was holding me back but once I released it or broke through it seemed like smooth sailing to the finish line.
In the book of Hebrews Paul uses the imagery of running a race when it comes to our walk with Jesus. Hebrews 12:1 reads, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us"! I have seen so many people accept Jesus as their personal savior and take off running. Most of the time, though, they are running by themselves! This is not the way Christ set things up nor is this what Paul suggested in this passage. Paul states, "since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses," implying that we are not alone but being encouraged/mentored by those who have been down this road before us. What happens to those who take off alone is they start to struggle. They become weighed down with "issues" or "sins" that seem to hard to let go of or release. They quit!
I found that when I was running I wanted to have the lightest close and shoes on! This was so I could be more at ease and accomplish what distance or time I set for myself. If we take this analogy that Paul gives us in this passage we can see three important things when it comes to running this "RACE" of life with Jesus!
1. We need Mentor's! (a cloud of witnesses)
This is not a new concept that has been discovered and now is making its way through the church as the latest fad. What we are seeing is a reintroduction into the church and being taught as one of the basis for a spiritually healthy church. My encouragement today is for us to be mentoring someone as well as being mentored by someone. In this race of life with Jesus we should not be running alone. Christ wants to use his people to reveal himself to others. We can be Jesus to someone and someone can be Jesus to us through being a mentor.
2. Get rid of Hindrances/Sin! (Lay aside every weight, and sin)
As a runner you want to be as light and arrow-dynamic as possible so you can run without being hindered. The same is true with our race in life with Jesus! We should want to be as "hindrance free" as possible so we can, not just run the race but finish it. Paul talks about these hindrances in Col. 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Jesus says something along the same lines, Luke 21:34 But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life. We want to be able to run this race with the best possibility of finishing and finishing well.
3. We must Persevere! (let us run with endurance)
In this race of life with Jesus we find that not everything goes as planned and road blocks are in the way. Paul uses the Greek word (hypomony) that is defined as "patient endurance!" We must persevere through those moments when it gets difficult. Those moments when we feel like quitting let us remember it's a race that does not require us to finish first, JUST FINISH!
My prayer, today, is that if you have not entered this race of life with Jesus, start today! If you have stopped in the middle of the race and quit, start back up! If you are in the race of life with Jesus and it is getting hard, don't quit! If you are in the race of life with Jesus, enjoy it! What a race it is!
Blessings
Pastor Rod
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