#DailyDevotion Fix Your Eyes On Jesus To Finish The Race
Heb. 12 Now then, with all these witnesses around us like a cloud, let us get rid of every burden and the sin we easily fall into and with endurance run the race laid out before us, 2looking to Jesus, Who gives us our faith from start to finish.
Chapter 11 is the cloud of witnesses he is referring to. Now the image of a cloud should also bring to mind the glory of God. There is the pillar of cloud by day. The cloud God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The smoke of Isaiah 6. Finally, the mount of transfiguration where Jesus appeared with two of these witnesses, Moses and Elijah and the Father speaking to the disciples. These all died in the faith and are with God in glory awaiting the resurrection of glorified bodies. They are our witnesses to endure in the faith.
As these all died in the faith and did not have anything we have not been given by God, no, we are given the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are encouraged therefore to get rid of every burden and the sin we so easily fall into. After several of the admonitions in early chapters about not having room for repentance after sin, it is comforting to see he realizes how we easily fall into it. The burden here is not daily troubles. We will not escape the crosses God lays upon us. They are for our good. What then can be our burdens? The burdens are our guilt of past sins, our lack of asking forgiveness and making amends where necessary, and our resentments and refusal to forgive those who sin against us. What sins have we not confessed to God, thinking if we don’t confess them He won’t know about them? What harms have we not gone to those we have sinned against, admitted our faults and asked how to repair the damage we have caused? Who are we refusing to forgive in our hearts and what resentments are we holding onto? Let us take care of these things. If we take care of these things sin will not have as great a hold on us. We should also minimize the places, things and situations that tempt us into sin until we have matured more in the faith.
He calls us to endurance to finish the faith, looking to Jesus, who gives us our faith from start to finish. Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. Perfecter from the Greek teleiōtēs, the word Jesus says from the cross, “It is finished.” Looking to Jesus is trusting Jesus. It is believing His promises. As Paul says in 1 Cor. 1, “8He will strengthen you to the end so that no one can accuse you of anything on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9You can depend on God, Who called you to the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Again in Phil. 1, “6I’m sure that He Who started a good work in you will go on to finish it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Did not Jesus say in John, “No one can snatch you out of My hand.” and “No one can snatch you out of My Father’s hand?”
Jesus starts us on the race and cheers us on. Jesus is with us in the race carrying our feet. We see Jesus at the end of the race cheering us on with the prize He has for those who complete the race, forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, eternal life and the kingdom of God. Keeping our eyes on Jesus is living in the Spirit. It is living in His Gospel promises. The more we keep our eyes on Jesus the more we will drop our burdens and not be entangled with the sin that so easily trips us up. Only the Good News of Jesus frees us from sinning. While we have this great cloud of witnesses which is encouraging, Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith is still greater than these. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Heavenly Father, give us such faith that keeps our eyes on Jesus so we may drop our burdens and avoid sin so we may finish our race. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.