“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.” Hebrews 12:1
For many, faith in Jesus is an endpoint. They talk about being saved as if that were the finish line. “I’m saved. Are you saved?” Others think being saved … if you are really saved … means you WILL NOT SIN. The writer of Hebrews shows us clearly that our life of faith is a process. It is an endurance race to which Christ has called us. In that race, He also calls us to lay aside our love and allegiance to worry and the sins that often come from those worries.1
It is obvious we will not always run the race at a perfect pace. Sometimes, we will slow down (lack faith). Sometimes, we will get a second wind and run harder (increased faith). Sometimes, we will stumble (be led astray). Sometimes, we willingly sit down and say, “I am done” (we will wantonly sin). Yet, we are still called to run the race. Through the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, we can always get back in the race.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for setting me on the road to salvation. Thank you for being the perfecter of my faith by setting an example for me to follow. Thank you for the forgiveness of my sins when I fall. Continue to be by my side, O Lord, as I run this race. Amen.
We sin because we worry we will not have what we need or have enough. We steal because we are afraid we will not have enough to live or enough to get the things we want or think we need. We kill because we worry that God will not protect us. We lust because we feel we are lacking in emotional and physical connection. It really is our worry and lack of faith that drives our sins. Didn’t Adam and Eve worry they were missing out on something … and so they took the bite?