Finding Faith

  Run Your Race 1 Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us… No two passes look the same.  We may leave first in round one, but chase in round two. Our opponent may stage slowly in round three, but immediately round four.  We may get dumped at the finish line round five but give the stripe round six.  The important thing is to run each race as it unfolds before us. Our verse above describes our Christian race as “set before us”.  That indicates three things.  First it is a performed race.   Perform as in something to carry out, accomplish, or fulfill.  Whatever God calls us to do, it will require effort.  As one preacher put it, “there is no such thing as easy Christianity”.  Additionally, it is a race!  That implies competition, something is at st...

  Run Your Race 2 Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us… Streaming services have brought drag racing into the mainstream.  I just spent three days watching The Million on MotorManiaTV.  Next week I plan to watch the Fall Fling on “The Fling Race Series” Youtube channel.  And as I write these very words, I am checking out the topic on this week's episode of  “Going Bracket Racing”.  There is more access to bracket racing than ever before, and is probably one of the driving forces for its popularity and growth.  It’s motorvational, excuse me, motivational… couldn’t resist.  Our verse above suggests a similar motivation for running our race.  We are compassed by a great cloud of witnesses.  What does that mean?  The previous chapter (Hebrews 11) end...

  Run Your Race 3 Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, l et us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us… While technically you could bracket race a dump truck, that wouldn’t be much fun for those of us that want to go fast… just too much weight.  And for those of us that want to go fast, we prefer a tail wind to a head wind.  These are the factors our writer has in mind as he describes weights and besetting sins.   Some things weigh us down and some things get in our way.  Let's consider  both. The word “beset” means to “skillfully surround”.  Think guarding a basketball player or covering a wide receiver…hindering progress and aggravation to the point of defeat.  Our writer suggests that there are sins that do just that…hinder our progress, slow us down.  They can be sins of omission like failing to...

  Run Your Race 4 Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us… The average person has no idea what it takes just to get to the starting line, much less to the winners circle and a championship.  They see the smoke of the burnout, the wheel stand, the “whomp - whomp” on the big end, and the winners circle picture with the huge fake check.  Of course what they don’t see is the late nights in the garage putting the motor together, the meals skipped because you reinstalled the transmission three times that week.  They don’t see the knuckle you bloodied tightening the converter during the third transmission change.  Is the race worth it?  In the moment, we might have our doubts, but I think all of us would resoundingly answer YES!   The word “patience” in our passage ab...