We have marked off the last day of 2021. 12 out of 12 done. It’s a shiny, brand new year. To some of us that feels exciting and promising. For others you may feel anxiety or dare I say, even like a failure. There were ups and downs. Great moments and hard ones. And yet, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8) He is right here with you, in this moment and in all of the yesterdays and in all of the tomorrows. Christ wants to take all of it and use it to build our faith in Him. The good news is that “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; 23)they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23 ESV).
When we consider the question “What can God do in and through my life?” How can He use all of it for His glory? Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (ESV) “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7)So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives growth.” As a church and even as individuals, as we love God and love others we are planting and watering seeds, and God and His ability grow the seeds. However, we do have a part. We each have a race to run.
Hebrews 12:1-3 we are reminded that this life, this faith walk, is a marathon and not a sprint. This is a long race where there will be moments of pain, moments of being tired and worn out, moments of wanting to quit. It helps to be connected to a community, to be connected to others. We need each other to cheer each other on in this faith race. Hebrews 12 was written to people who were risking their very lives to even meet together. What is it that we are facing? Yes, very real obstacles and challenges. The race is unpredictable at times, but Christ will sustain us. Let our prayer be to run the race in 2022. We have all had people in our lives that have truly inspired us as we have observed them “run the race”. We have learned from them, and maybe even cheered them on, and had them cheer us on. We need each other. We have also had people in our lives that we have watched quit and that’s so heartbreaking. It typically isn’t the starting that is hard, it’s a little ways down, when we face an unexpected (to us) obstacle, that we question what we are even doing in the race. To remain faithful and steady is the hard part.
We’ll take this week to dive a little deeper and take a look at what God’s Word says about this race.
Monday:
Let’s look a little closer at Hebrews 12:1. Hebrews 12:1a says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,...” The word “Therefore” leads us back to Hebrews 11 where we read about many Heroes of Faith. Noah-building an ark. He was being obedient to what God told him to do and he was made fun of and questioned by many. He worked for 120 years. Do you think he may have gotten weary and wanted to throw in the towel? He didn’t. Then we see Abraham and Joseph and Moses and others. One foot in front of the other. Mistakes along the way? Yes. But quitting? No! Take some time to read through Hebrews 11 today and then consider where you are. What race has the Lord set before you? Think about those in your life that you have observed (are observing) run the race. What have you learned, are learning?
Tuesday:
We then see in Hebrews 12:1b “...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,”. We see a common phrase that is used, “let us…” We were never meant to run this race alone. The verse says let us lay aside and let us run with endurance… So the first part of this is, “let us”. Who can you reach out to today to ask to come alongside of you in this race? A friend/mentor/spouse? Be brave, be vulnerable. The enemy wants us to think that we are the only ones facing this or that, but we need to remember we are not alone, we are not the only one. Tomorrow we will look at the rest of the verse beyond “Let us”.
Wednesday:
Hebrews 12:1b implores us to lay aside every weight and sin. Take some time today to ask:
What is it in my life that is a hindrance? What is keeping me from following/trusting/obeying Christ and running the race set before me? What adjustments do I need to make? Are there time fillers and time wasters that I need to reevaluate? What sin is pulling me away? Away from Christ? Away from fellowship of other believers? And this is important… we need to call it what it is-SIN! What is it that is entagnling me? Vs 4 of Hebrews 12, “In your struggle against sin you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” This isn’t about trying casually. It’s time to get serious.
Thursday:
The very last part of Hebrews 12:b says, “....and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Our spiritual lives can look alright on the outside to others. We show up for church, we sing all the worship songs, we have the Christian bumper sticker or verse on our social media. We appear to be running the race. Christ wants us to put on our shoes and run, not sit on the couch. Let’s get in the race that God has marked out for us.
Take some time to consider if you’ve put your shoes on and sat back down. Or maybe you’ve started but you’re tired. If you are struggling simply ask the Lord to help you and take the first step!
Friday:
Hebrews 10:25 says, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We are not going to be perfect, but we are here to cheer each other on and encourage each other. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one dies for all and therefore all died. 15)And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” It should know that it is not guilt that compels us, but it is the very love of God for each of us. And we run this race by fixing our eyes on Jesus! Hebrews 12:2 says “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This is the how!!!
Is guilt motivating you? If so, ask God to help you let the love of Christ compel and motivate you.
Saturday:
It is so important to remember that there is absolutely nothing we can do that disqualifies us from the race. God is calling us because of the love of Christ. We don’t run it for Christ but because of Him and all that He has done for us. Hebrew 12:3 says “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. He’s right here, in this moment, despite all of the yesterdays. May you be encouraged by God’s Word as you take some time to re-read Hebrews 12:1-3. Run the race He has set before you in 2022.