Worth Repeating - August 20, 2017

Hebrews 12: 1 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. (NIV)

A race has been set before me; and it is my duty to find out what that race is, and run it, and not waste life in regrets that I cannot run a different one, or life's energies in unsuccessful attempts to do so.*

I was never one of those girls who dreamed of being a cheerleader. Perhaps, even as a small child, I knew instinctively that I didn’t have the perky personality or the physical coordination required to join their ranks. Often it is obvious that those bouncy girls are just there to be seen, but we have all witnessed those rousing moments when the enthusiastic roar of the crowd seemed to make a difference in the outcome of the contest.

As Christians, we are surrounded by a crowd of cheerleaders – the saints who have gone on ahead of us who would like us to know that it is all worth it. We may not be able to hear their voices, but their stories cheer us on as we run our own race of faith. In Hebrews chapter eleven, the writer reminds us of these heroes who demonstrated the faith without which it is impossible to please God. Characters such as Abel, who offered a better sacrifice (4: 2-5); Enoch, who was commended as one who pleased God before he was “taken away” without experiencing death (Genesis 5: 21-24); the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea on dry land (Exodus 14); and those not named who were tortured for their faith “so that they might gain a better resurrection;” and so many more, remind us that God honors our faithfulness with his own.

The writer of Hebrews says that the race is already marked out for us. Let go of the cares of life that slow you down. It turns out that those things we carry around are not so important after all. Run the race with the confidence of a sure winner. And listen to the roar of the crowd!

Our choices are not always between right and wrong, but between something that may hinder us and something else that may not.*