I watched a movie yesterday afternoon with a simple plot that started me thinking. A woman had been supporting her husband for 15 years in his endeavor which kept him in the spotlight and she, as a dutiful wife, on the sidelines supporting his sucesses while she smiled and waved. The day came when her husband stepped down out of the spotlight and the woman had no idea what to do with herself. She had an emotional breakdown and began studying what her husband used to do so she could take up the mantle and keep what she thought was her identity. She did everything she could, even less than ethical or moral things, to keep herself in a position to pursue what she thought made her "her." At one point she even said to another character in the movie, "I don't have anything else."
I shared that to say this: We have been studying in Hebrews about all the Jesus Christ is, how He fulfilled the law and how His sacrifice was perfect. We know from studying other biblical principles as well that we are His adopted sons and daughters. We are heirs to the throne and we are seated with Jesus in heavenly places. We are to put our faith and trust in the fact that our High Priest, as He is spoken of in Hebrews, is mediating for us with the Father. Keeping our eyes focused on Jesus can help us keep and maintain our identity within Him. The woman in the movie lost her focus and as a result, she did not know how to run her Race any longer. If we look a little ahead in Hebrews to chapter 12:1,2:
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
lay aside every weight... Or in other words, put aside anything that is hindering from Running the race before you with endurance. When runners are running a race, they wear the lightest fabric shirts and shorts, and the lightest running shoes they can buy made especially for running. They do not carry with them anything additional. They do not run with a backpack. In fact, when you see a marathon, such as the Boston Marathon, on TV, there are people that line the streets and special stop stations that hand water to the runners as they go by. They carry nothing with them as they run so they are able to run as fast they can to win the race.
Our walk in faith is very similar to a race as Paul as has said in the passages below:
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. (27) But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Paul said he has to discipline his body and bring it under subjection, lest he become disqualified from the race. He also said in 2 Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (8) Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
With Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, the race we run is very important. What we carry when we are running our faith is even more important. Jesus said,
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
To run our race unencumbered, we must go to Jesus and have His yoke, and His burden placed upon us..it is much easier to carry and much lighter than anything we can carry ourselves. What can weigh us down we don't need to carry?
Sin - doing wrong when we know what is right can weigh us down and become very heavy burdens that prevent us from running our race in faith.
Self-esteem issues - not understanding what God says about us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are the apple of His eye. We are His children, His daughters and sons. We should not place any weight on what on what the world says about how our bodies should look, what we wear, because we are made in the image of the Almighty God and Creator of the Universe.
Lust - With today's overload of visual images it is easy to find ourselves allowing our thoughts to travel to places we know they should not go. Internet and TV can be the downfall of many of us. We need to guard our eyes, and guard our hearts against anything that can prevent us from running the race and fighting the good fight.
Hurt and Regret: Do you know how harmful it is to our spirits to carry hurt in our hearts? The burden of constantly visiting that hurt and continuing to open the wound can be draining and exhausting. It removes our focus on the Healer of all Hurts, and puts it in a place that can cause our faith to weaken and prevent us from running the best race we can.
And there are so many more issues that can prevent us from running a race free from encumbrances that slow us down.
It easy to forget, just as the woman did in the movie I mentioned at the start of this post, who we are aside from the things we do. It is easy to not run our race in faith, and in persistence of obtaining the crown we know is waiting. When we go to Jesus and turn all the issues we choose to carry around with us, Isaiah said this would happen:
Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, (31) But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Wouldn't it be great to run and not get weary? To walk and not faint? We can do so by knowing who we are in Christ and running to the One whose burden is easy to carry.
What is weighing you down today? What is preventing you from turning it over to the Lord?
Join the discussion on Facebook.
I shared that to say this: We have been studying in Hebrews about all the Jesus Christ is, how He fulfilled the law and how His sacrifice was perfect. We know from studying other biblical principles as well that we are His adopted sons and daughters. We are heirs to the throne and we are seated with Jesus in heavenly places. We are to put our faith and trust in the fact that our High Priest, as He is spoken of in Hebrews, is mediating for us with the Father. Keeping our eyes focused on Jesus can help us keep and maintain our identity within Him. The woman in the movie lost her focus and as a result, she did not know how to run her Race any longer. If we look a little ahead in Hebrews to chapter 12:1,2:
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
lay aside every weight... Or in other words, put aside anything that is hindering from Running the race before you with endurance. When runners are running a race, they wear the lightest fabric shirts and shorts, and the lightest running shoes they can buy made especially for running. They do not carry with them anything additional. They do not run with a backpack. In fact, when you see a marathon, such as the Boston Marathon, on TV, there are people that line the streets and special stop stations that hand water to the runners as they go by. They carry nothing with them as they run so they are able to run as fast they can to win the race.
Our walk in faith is very similar to a race as Paul as has said in the passages below:
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. (27) But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Paul said he has to discipline his body and bring it under subjection, lest he become disqualified from the race. He also said in 2 Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (8) Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
With Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, the race we run is very important. What we carry when we are running our faith is even more important. Jesus said,
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
To run our race unencumbered, we must go to Jesus and have His yoke, and His burden placed upon us..it is much easier to carry and much lighter than anything we can carry ourselves. What can weigh us down we don't need to carry?
Sin - doing wrong when we know what is right can weigh us down and become very heavy burdens that prevent us from running our race in faith.
Self-esteem issues - not understanding what God says about us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are the apple of His eye. We are His children, His daughters and sons. We should not place any weight on what on what the world says about how our bodies should look, what we wear, because we are made in the image of the Almighty God and Creator of the Universe.
Lust - With today's overload of visual images it is easy to find ourselves allowing our thoughts to travel to places we know they should not go. Internet and TV can be the downfall of many of us. We need to guard our eyes, and guard our hearts against anything that can prevent us from running the race and fighting the good fight.
Hurt and Regret: Do you know how harmful it is to our spirits to carry hurt in our hearts? The burden of constantly visiting that hurt and continuing to open the wound can be draining and exhausting. It removes our focus on the Healer of all Hurts, and puts it in a place that can cause our faith to weaken and prevent us from running the best race we can.
And there are so many more issues that can prevent us from running a race free from encumbrances that slow us down.
It easy to forget, just as the woman did in the movie I mentioned at the start of this post, who we are aside from the things we do. It is easy to not run our race in faith, and in persistence of obtaining the crown we know is waiting. When we go to Jesus and turn all the issues we choose to carry around with us, Isaiah said this would happen:
Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, (31) But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Wouldn't it be great to run and not get weary? To walk and not faint? We can do so by knowing who we are in Christ and running to the One whose burden is easy to carry.
What is weighing you down today? What is preventing you from turning it over to the Lord?
Join the discussion on Facebook.
