“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1
Over the last few days, we have discussed Paul’s perspective on how to live our life. Paul looked at life like it was a race. We see this multiple times throughout his New Testament writings.
So, what was the point of this perspective? Why did Paul talk about life like it was a race, and what can we learn from this comparison? Over the next three days, we are going to look at three different passages where Paul uses the analogy of a race and how it applies to our lives.
The first thing I want you to think about when “running your race” is that you need to strip off the weight! Have you ever tried running with a weighted vest or even ankle weights? Running with that extra weight is HARD.
That is exactly what Paul was talking about in Hebrews 12:1. He says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And lets us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
That extra weight holds us back…it slows us down. So what is the extra weight? SIN. Sin is what holds us back from doing all that God has called us to do. Just like it is easier to run after you take the ankle weights off, it is much easier to run God’s race when you remove the weight of sin in your life.
What sin is weighing you down? What sin is keeping you from living the purpose God has created you for? When you strip off the weight of sin, you can run fast! And you can run fast towards all that God has in store for you. But if you don’t remove the sin, how are you ever going to get there?