Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Probably like many of you, we have been in a spring cleaning mode. It seems to be a deeper cleansing than normal due to the opportunity Covid 19 has provided us. And as we clean we are also purging all the stuff that we put in closets or shelving in the garage that we thought was important but only collected dust.
This got me thinking about all the stuff that I have acquired, as well as all the things I find myself doing and wondering if they too need to be jettisoned. What I mean is: Are there things in my life that I deem of value or important but in fact, are only hindering or entangling my ultimate commitment of following Jesus?
The context of Hebrews 12 is the great faith of those who have gone before us who lived their lives focused on “the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). They were spiritual athletes who were focused on the finish line or the end goal of their lives. Their finish line was the Hope of Christ and the complete fulfillment of the City of God (Hebrews 12:22). This is the finish line of every follower of Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews is a great spiritual coach who in Hebrews 11 describes the kind of faith that perseveres to the finish line. He inspires the reader by the faith and perseverance of those great spiritual athletes who have run the race we are now running.
Like a good coach he then directs that if we want to persevere to the end we must make some important and difficult purging decisions. He yells from the sidelines “throw off everything that hinders.” These aren’t necessarily bad things, just things that hamper or make more difficult the race we are running. He also barks for us to “throw off the sin that so easily entangles.” This would be equivalent to “your shoe lace is untied and you are about to trip if you don’t tie it up!”
Since we have a little more time for a deeper purging, consider the race you are running and judge if you are running light and unencumbered or heavily entangled. What could you jettison so that your journey after Covid might be less burdensome and more enjoyable?