Strangers in a Strange Land - Pt. 3

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV).

 

I’ve written about the final destination of our journey through this “strange land.” Today our reading gives us some instruction of how we are to take the journey. The writer of Hebrews tells us to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and run with endurance” (v. 1). Like any journey there are always different obstacles along the way. This requires that we be “in shape” for the challenge. Just as our physical bodies need daily exercise and activity, so do our spiritual lives. If we rarely stretch, exercise, do physical work, or play sports, our bodies will grow inflexible and heavy. In the long run we will risk all sorts of health problems. By midlife we will feel the aches and pains of old age prematurely. So it is in our spiritual life. We need to exercise our souls and do faith-building exercises.

 

These are not exercises we do by our own strength, however. Through Jesus Christ, God has given us a “new nature” that needs to grow up and become strong. The apostle Paul explains that Christians together are like a body that needs to be attached to Christ as their Head, and “the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Colossians 2:19). There are three things (exercises) that we can use to keep fit for the journey: prayer, Bible reading, and worship.

 

I know the latter of those is more difficult today; however, with technology we can safely worship with others. Additionally it is very important to develop a circle of friends who are like-minded in their faith and use the measures you are safest with to stay connected. As we grow in Christ, we need to exercise all the muscles of our faith. As our text tells us, we must “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” We are called not to shuffle or trudge along in our spiritual life, but to press on, with exertion, for God’s glory.