Parkwood Baptist Church

“…and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…”

A good start is vitally important in a race.  When the runners go to the starting line they position themselves in the blocks and await the sound of the gun.  Every muscle is tense and ready to go at the signal.  “On your mark…get set…”  A bad start can have devastating consequences.  Any pause or delay can change the results at the finish.  But, did you know, you don’t get points for a good start.  There is not a ribbon for “Best Start”.   You have to run the race to the finish to even be considered for a reward.  That being said, the finish is what counts.  Many have had great starts but stopped before the finish line.  They quit.  For one reason or another they did not finish.  Maybe they were distracted by other things.  Maybe they lost interest in the race they were running.  Maybe they were injured along the way and could not recover.  Maybe they became overwhelmed with fear and just froze up.  Maybe they just got tired of running and walked off the course.

There is no shortage of excuses to quit running the “race marked out before us”.  The Bible encourages us to “not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9).   The Scripture we have been looking at challenges us to run the race with perseverance.  This means “Keep on going”.  Don’t quit!  Run it to the end.  We will always be tempted to give up.  Things get hard sometimes.  In the running world they call it “The Wall”.  It is the point in the race when you reach the end of what you think you can do.  It is when you have to make a choice…to run or not to run.  It is the point that determines if you are going to push through…persevere…finish.

Most of us can remember the start of our “race” called faith.  It was  a life transforming experience.  Maybe at the altar during a youth retreat.  Maybe it was a quiet moment at your bedside when you gave your life over to the Lord.  Old things passed away, forgiveness was experienced and the starting gun sounded as you were born again!  What a great start!

Likewise, most of us have already encountered  the temptation to quit.  We get distracted…weary…angry…hurt…tired…and we want to quit.  In my life endeavors I have discovered that I am a much better starter than finisher.  I have often needed the encouragement of others saying, “run with perseverance the race set before you”.  Our Scripture tells us that we have a cloud of who are doing just that for you.

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…the Author and Finisher of our faith.”

A week ago they ran the Boston marathon.  It was special as people remembered the tragedy of last years race.  However, in light of the verse above, I remember another one back on April 21, 1980.  Rosie Ruiz came in first place for the women that year.  It was the record for the fastest finish for a woman in the Boston marathon.  In fact, it was the fastest finish for a woman in any marathon.  It was even more amazing because she was barely out of breath and not covered in sweat like other runners.  When questioned about her record breaking pace and outstanding condition she said, “I got up with a lot of energy this morning”.  Within a few days it was revealed that after starting the race she boarded the subway and got off a half mile from the finish line.  When this was discovered she was disqualified and stripped of the title because…in case you didn’t know…that is cheating.

It seems people are always looking for short cuts in any journey but the fact of the matter is…You cannot just run anywhere or any way that you choose when you are in a race.  You must run the course that has been set out for you.  This is true in any race you run.  On the track runners are assigned a lane to run in.  If they step out of the lane they can be disqualified.

The Scripture tells us that we are to run the race “marked out for us”.  As Christians we are not just called to do just “anything” and we are not called to just do “something”.  We are called to do the things that God has marked out for us from the beginning.  Throughout the Bible we are told that God knew our days and had a plan before we were ever born.  In Ephesians Paul says that we are His workmanship created to do “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.   So…we are not called to just run any race.  We are called to run the one marked out for us.

And…guess what?  There are no short cuts to accomplishing the things that God has for you.  Whether you are trying to bypass a certain assignment (like Jonah) or trying to cut corners (like Rosie Ruiz) you will end up on the short end of the stick!

Now some may claim that we should be able to run wherever we want to and however we wish.  But that is not running the race marked out before you.  If you want to finish…you need to stay on course.  How do we  know what course God has marked out for us?   Start with God’s Word.  In it God lays out the main principles to guide us in our faith journey.  It tells us that He is the source of our strength from the beginning to the end…Author and finisher!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…”

There are two types of “surrounded”.   There is “come out with your hands up.  We’ve got you surrounded“.  You might as well give up because there is no way out.  Then there is, “When I was going through a rough time I was surrounded by friends and family and it made all the difference.”  This is the surrounded that we love to experience.   The support and warmth of those we love.

As we said before, this Scripture comes after a lengthy list of the heroes of faith that have gone before.  We are surrounded in a way that has several implications for us on our spiritual journey.

First, it does have a little bit of the first meaning that I mentioned.  We cannot get away from the fact that we are surrounded by a faith heritage that has come before us, is going on around us and will follow us in the lives of others to come.  What?  “Maybe I don’t want to be a part of this.  I just want to be by myself and give it my best shot on my own.”  Sorry…I got news for you…you are surrounded…come out with your hands up.  This is the surrender to the life that Jesus has called you to.  Whether you like it or not, you are connected to the past and have a part in the future.  It’s God’s design

It also carries the second meaning I referred to.  We are not alone in this world and we are not alone in our walk with the Lord.  Many have gone before you and their testimony can serve as encouragement and strength for you.  Be strong and courageous!  You are not the first to encounter challenges in your walk of faith and you won’t be the last.   You are surrounded by the testimonies of the past and the support of those who are walking with you right now.  In fact, our lives will give encouragement to those who come later as well.  So, be encouraged…you are surrounded.

There is a third meaning that I think is here as well that I will offer you.  This Scripture is a mandate for us to continue the faith and not break the chain that has been forged from the beginning.  In other words, we are being passed the baton of the Gospel to carry for those who have run before us and, therefore, we have the responsibility to pass it on to those who will follow us.  Yes, this can be overwhelming, but that is the beauty of the following verses…”throw off…lay aside…fix your eyes on Jesus”.

I want to inform you today…You are surrounded!  There is no way around it so give up to God’s plan for your life.  You are surrounded and therefore not alone in this race set before us.  You are surrounded and have received the baton from those who have run before and you must pass it on to the next runner.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…let throw off…let us run…let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1)

Why is it important to be ready?  It is beginning to seem like a lot of work.  In fact, it might be easier to pick another path…you know…go with the flow.  Something with a little less sacrifice.  Something with a little less cost.  When we begin to think  like that we must back up and read the beginning of this passage which is written above.  Friends, we are part of a bigger picture!  It is not just about you.  Our world has become so focused on the individual that we have forgotten that our lives are woven into the fabric of the world as a whole.  We tend to say things like, “It is my life and I can do whatever I want” or “It’s none of anyone’s business what I do”.  The Bible tells us that yes, we are free to make choices, but those choices do have an impact on others around us.

These verses in Chapter 12 of Hebrews are preceded by Chapter 11 (I know…duh).  But, we are very familiar with this chapter because it is the faith chapter that defines faith and lists examples throughout history of those who lived by faith.  We learn that we stand in a long line of people who suffered and persevered so that we would know the message of the Gospel.  Hero’s whose lives did not always end heroically in the world’s eyes but victoriously in God’s eyes.  After the many examples are given for our encouragement the chapter ends with this statement:

“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received whatt had been promised.  God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  Therefore…” (Hebrews 1:39,40 and first word of 12:1)

Our faith journey is intertwined with the history of God’s plan for His people and…with the future!  The list in Hebrews 11 is one that has continued.  The last entries in that heavenly script have the names of people you know who were people of faith in your life.  People whose faith sparked faith in you!  Now the same pen that scribbled the name of your grandmother or Sunday school teacher is writing your name.  That’s right.  You are on the list.

You see, our journey does not have a distinct beginning.  God knew you and had plans for you before you were born.  It does not have a distinct ending.  All who believe will have eternal life.  We are simply called to be faithful with our part of the Kingdom work that God has called us to at the moment.  Why?  To be faithful to the testimony of those who have gone before (cloud of witnesses) and to pass on the heritage of faith to those to come!

“…throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1)

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” (Romans 6:12)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

I was walking my dog around the block the other day when he spotted another dog across the street.  The next minute or so of my life could have been a viral video on YouTube.  My dog ran around me and between my legs and around a light post weaving a web with the leash that turned my “walk” with the dog to a “stop” with the dog.  Once the other dog passed and I got my legs free we were back in business.

Sometimes we can be walking along our spiritual journey and something on the other side of the street gets our attention and suddenly we are tangled up and things come to a screeching halt.  That is what sin can do in our lives.  The Bible tells us that sin can cause havoc in our life and rob us of the blessings that God intends for us to enjoy.  Unfortunately, it also says that sin is something that we all struggle with.  Another fact of life is there will always be another dog walking on the other side of the street.  The question is how do we handle it.

The Scriptures call the other dog “temptation”.  What we do when we see it determines if it becomes sin or not.  One thing for sure…you can’t keep another dog from walking on the other side of the street.  Our goal is to stay on our side of the street and to keep moving forward on our path.  For my dog, it will take some training and, soon (I hope) he will develop some disciplines that allow him to remain focused and on the task at hand…walking forward.

For us, as followers of Jesus, we will need to develop disciplines in our lives that keep us out of trouble.  It starts with keeping our eyes on Jesus but also requires us to identify and deal with the sin that “so easily” trips us up.  The Scripture does give us some direction in this area.  In the verse from First John (above) we are told that we can continually go to the Lord and confess our sins and He forgives us.  In other words, we all get tangled up every once in a while.  When we do, God is there to hear our cry for forgiveness…help us get untangled…brush us off…and get us back on the right path.

Today, are you stopped on your spiritual journey tangled up in the leash of sin.  Come to the Lord and confess it and He will get you back moving again.

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning.” (Luke 12:35)

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Jesus has challenged us to “be ready” at all times.  He says to be dressed for service.  He wanted His disciples to be prepared to go into action at a moments notice.  So what exactly does that mean for us in our walk with the Lord?

I shared in my last entry that I learned several lessons during my one season of being a bench warmer on my middle school basketball team.  Most of my glorious but short career was spent making sure I was “ready” to go into the game at a moments notice.  When the coach gave me the signal I needed to be “dressed” and prepared to play.  The first step to being ready to go into the game is to keep an eye on the coach (see last blog).  Likewise, we as Christians must keep our eyes on Jesus if we want to be ready for all He wants us to experience in our walk with Him.  We know that at any moment today He may give us the signal (opportunity) to reach out in His name.  That is why Jesus would always tell His disciples to “be alert” and “watch and pray”.

Another lesson to learn about being ready is that we need to make sure that we have removed anything that might get in the way.  Going back to my time on the sidelines…when I was told to get ready I would remove the warm up jacket and make sure my shoe laces were tied tightly.  I didn’t want there to be anything that might get in the way of playing my best.  In the verse above we are told that we should “throw off” anything that would hinder us in the running of the race.  This includes, but is not limited to, the sin that so easily entangles us.

This requires us to evaluate all the things that we are doing in light of how it affects our readiness for Kingdom opportunities.  Jesus said we should “seek first the Kingdom of God” when it comes to our priorities.  Are you involved in things that “hinder” or restrict your participation in God’s Kingdom work?  “I don’t have time to do that because I am doing this”.  This can be sin, as we know, but it can also be good things.  These things are not wrong but they clog up our schedules and choke out some of the better things that God has planned for us.

Most of us are over scheduled and under fulfilled in this metropolitan area.  We are controlled by our calendar instead of being in control of it.  We do this almost without thinking and find ourselves trapped with no way out.

So, my chalenge for you today is to take a moment in this busy day you have planned and evaluate your readiness for God’s Kingdom work.  Is there anything you need to “throw off”?

When I was younger I was not an athlete but I did give a few sports a try.  I ran track but I was not the fastest.  In fact, I spent more time watching races than running them.  I even tried out for the basketball team when I was in middle school (yes, it was invented by then).  It was a small school and since I could dribble the ball and run at the same time…I actually made the team.  Of course, it was to my advantage that most 12 year old boys had not started their growth spurts yet.  I wasn’t very good and, like my experience in track, spent most of the season making sure the bench on the sideline stayed in place.  But… I got a uniform, I was assigned a position and I was in the team photo that season.  I was on the team.

I learned many valuable lessons from my illustrious sports career on the bench.  I learned how important it is to cheer on those who are out there playing the game.  I also learned how important it is to be ready to go into the game when the coach called.  The coach would occasionally come to me during the game and say, “Bradley, get ready, I’m sending you in soon” (I did get to play occasionally).  My heart would begin racing and I would take off my warm up suit, begin to stretch and, most importantly, I would keep my eye on the coach for his signal to go in.  I was ready.  I can still remember the intensity of those moments.  It was exhilarating.

These lessons from middle school often come to mind when I hear Jesus say, “be ready” or “watch and pray” or “be alert”.  I believe He was letting the disciples know that He was going to be sending them into the game.  “Get prepared and watch me for the signal.”  The writer of Hebrews also uses a race to describe our Christian journey and the importance of keeping our eyes on the coach:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter [coach] of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1,2)

So, lesson one…keep your eyes on the coach.  He is going to put you in today.  Watch for His signal.  Get ready.  It could be anything!  But… if you are keeping your eyes on Jesus…you won’t miss it.

As we slowly thaw out from a long winter we are challenged with the discipline of Spring cleaning and getting ready for the change of season. Spiritually we are faced with the same challenge. The Lenten season has given us the opportunity to plow up the harden soil of our hearts and prepared us for the fresh celebration of the Easter event.  The question is…where do we go from here?  What does God have in store for you next?…and are you ready for it?

It is my desire to be a vessel “useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).  Through Easter we have prepared our hearts, but now what can we do to prepare our lives?  God is at work all around us and we know that He has ordained that each of us join Him in His Kingdom work.  What is it that God is calling you to do or to be a part of?  How can we distinguish between what we want to do and what God wants us to do?  Are we willing to jump in when God presents an opportunity?  Or, even more important, are you ready so that you can jump in?  For those of you reading along, I invite you to look at some of the Scriptures that give us guidance to get ready and over the next few days we will seek to know what it means to be “ready” to go.

Jesus said, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning…so that when He [the Master] comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for Him…it will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready…You also must be ready.” (Luke 12:35,36,38)

Paul said, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2)

Are you ready?

In your quiet time today let the Lord know that you desire to be ready to do whatever He needs you to do today.  You want to be ready to go where He wants you to go and say what He wants you to say.  Then ask Him what you need to do in your life that can prepare you for what lies ahead.  God has great plans for you…get ready!

Jesus has secured our salvation by His work on the cross…the tomb is empty…now what?  Well, for those who are willing we will continue this devotional journey with some daily thoughts of encouragement from the Scriptures.  So, here we go!

“But seek His Kingdom, and these things will be given you as well.  Do not be afraid, little flock, your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:31,32)

Jesus was talking to His disciples about the concerns and worries of daily living.  He was drawing their attention to the birds and the flowers and reminding them that God takes care of these things and that they are more important than birds.  But this is more than a talk on worry, it is an encouragement to get your eyes on the Kingdom of God that is all around us.

Jesus knows that we worry about the basic needs in life.  That worry is a fear that determines how we live.  If you are worried about your own needs it is hard to meet the needs of others.  “I’d love to help you, but I have my own problems.”  This fear can get to a point that it paralyzes us and we become useless to our Lord and His Kingdom work.

We have just celebrated the fact that Jesus has removed the barrier of sin that separated us from God.  We can be a part of the flock as we were intended.  We have seen in Psalm 23 that He is the Good Shepherd who, not only owns us, but takes care of our every need.  Basically, as Luke says above, He has “been pleased to give you the Kingdom”.  That’s right.  He meets your needs and more!  The Kingdom is yours.  So…do not be afraid…do not worry…believe and trust that He will take care of you.  Then we can begin to focus on being the people of the Kingdom…the Body of Christ in the world around us.  We can be instruments of righteousness useful to the Master.

We are called to be a part of His flock and He has also called us to be a part of sharing with others about this great Shepherd!  So, today, don’t be afraid…don’t worry…for He “has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.”