Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1, 2, NKJV.
Heavenly Father, how wonderful it is to begin our day sitting at Your feet. Please help us to know that we are safe in Your presence, and that You have “words of eternal life” to offer us today. In the name of Jesus Christ we give You thanks. Amen.
NOTE: Today I will be using the word beset in place of the word ensnare. I actually began doing this from yesterday.
Yesterday our devotional was about, “Laying Aside the Weight.” We discovered that this was necessary, because the weight can become a burden that besets us, and hinder our spiritual growth. Oftentimes we cannot simply lay aside the weight. There may be consequences. In the case scenario I presented yesterday, my several layers of clothing became a burden when my body built up heat, especially when I had to go uphill. Nevertheless, by taking off my heaviest layer, the London Fog, I could have taken a draft, so I kept it on, until I arrived at home.
Today, we will look at a safe way to lay aside the weight. Our first clue is found at the very beginning of our Scripture. “we are surrounded by . . . a great cloud of witnesses[.]” This group of witnesses are to be found in the preceding chapter, Hebrews 11, also referred to as “The Hall of Faith.” There we can see how they dealt with the issues that encumbered them (infertility, a lack of faith, choosing between the riches of the world and standing with the people of God, break down walls, persecution, death, martyrdom, and the list goes on). Issues we also deal with in the Twenty First century, wouldn’t you say? Yet they “kept the faith,” by looking beyond the temporal to the eternal.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace” (Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, p. 290. Emphasis provided). Everything else fades in beauty in the presence of Jesus!
We are encouraged to “[look] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith[.]” Your faith journey and mine began the day we realized that we could not save ourselves and went to Jesus. That day He became the “author” of our faith. The pen that is writing the story of our lives is in the hand of the Savior. Look to Him. In Isaiah 45: 22 He bids us all, “‘“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”‘” No other contemplation does for us what sitting at the feet of Jesus and looking into His beautiful face does! For “He is altogether lovely.”
He is not only the author. He is also the “finisher” of our faith. It is a daily contemplation that will enable us, like the faithful of old, to make it to the “heavenly country.” Our lives will not end until Jesus enters His final input. So do not be discouraged. You can lay aside the weight. You can get rid of the besetment without harm to yourself. The secret is in surrendering. Let Jesus take your weight. Let Him take away the besetting sin. Don’t resist what He is trying to rid you of. He knows that even though it feels comfortable now, soon it will become cumbersome and beset you.
Let it be said of you and me on that final day: “They overcame . . . by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11), because they never lost sight of Jesus! Amen.