I have written many times about perseverance and running the race set before us. But I am passionate about this word from God. It is so vitally important that we persevere, gain strength, focus with our eyes on Jesus, and finish this race Jesus gave us, in victory.
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.“
Hebrews 12:1-2 HCSB
As the Word of God tells us, “ we have a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” What does that mean? It means we live in a world that has Christians under a microscope. The world wants to see us fail. They want us to suffer for the works we do for Jesus. Many feel threatened by Christians. Many have no specific reason, except they believe differently from us. And the list goes on. Why do others feel so threatened by us? To me it makes no sense. But the Word tells us we will be persecuted.
That’s very sad. Jesus commands us to love one another. You may ask how can we when they hate us. We can through the power of Christ. We love others, but we do not like the sin. Or we don’t like the persecution. How does this fit into running the race? Our life is part of our race. I have had to fight hard for my health. That is one portion of my race. The next portion, learning to accept those who have done wrong to Christians. They are just some examples. Everyone’s race is different. We have different goals.
But we all must run the race to the finish. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus while running our race. We must persevere and push through no matter how difficult the race gets. Persevere no matter how many times you are mocked. Do not run the race to receive a medal, but run so Jesus receives the glory.
I want to encourage you all. We have our races to run. We come upon stumbling blocks. We may even stumble at times. We may get slowed down, or even veer off course. That’s okay. Jesus knows us, He knows our limitations. That is when we focus on Him more than ever before. He didn’t give us our race to fail. He is right by our side to help us when we need it. Wow, what more can we ask for? Our Lord, our Father, our Teacher, our Coach, running with us and helping us.
My friends I pray that when your race is getting very difficult, you lean on Jesus. Call out to Him for help. And run with your eyes on Him, and your heart focused on the mission He has given you.
He loves you, and me, and even those who condemn us. I pray we all can love others the way Jesus does.
Run your race friends.
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