Do you ever grow tired of living the Christian life? Does it seem hard and challenging at times? Yet at the same time, perhaps there is a deep desire within you to run the race of the Christian life well. You want to please the Lord and bring honour to His name, but you find that your tank is often running on empty.
Hebrews 12:1-3 gives us six ways that we can run the race of the Christian life well. Each way keeps us running while also equipping us to maintain our pace. In this blog, we will look at the first three ways.
1. Remember the Faithful Ones
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,"
The great cloud of witnesses likely refers to the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11. Enoch walked with God. Noah obeyed God even when it didn’t make sense to do so. Abraham left his home and later was willing to sacrifice his son because he trusted God. Moses abandoned a life of wealth and prestige to follow God.
Yet, the faithful ones mentioned in Hebrews 11 are not the only people of faith that we can look to as examples. I can think of a number of people who have impacted me because of their faith in God. They, too, are part of the cloud of witnesses. Their example inspires, guides, and challenges me to be faithful.
2. Throw Off Hindrances
"...let us throw off everything that hinders..."
Have you ever had to run through an airport because you’re late for your flight? I’ve had that happen a few times. And when it happens, I am never ready for a mad dash to my plane. I’m not dressed to run. I usually have a small backpack and a carry-on suitcase. Needless to say, I don’t run very fast with these extra items.
The writer of Hebrews is telling us to throw off the things that hinder us from running the race of the Christian life well. These can be good things like work, leisure activities, relationships, and even ministry. Yet, anything that becomes more important than God in our lives or distracts us from God is an idol. It is hindering us from running our race well.
What is hindering us or could hinder us from fully living out the Christian life? As someone has said, “The good is often the enemy of the best.” Let’s hold onto God’s best for our lives.
3. Get Rid of Sin
"...and the sin that so easily entangles."
Every Christian has moments of feeling tired of living the Christian life. Thankfully, Hebrews 12:1-3 gives us several ideas for how we can run the race of the Christian life well. Each guideline keeps us running while also equipping us to maintain our pace. We looked at the first three ways in an earlier blog, so we will now identify the final three guidelines.