Run, Looking Unto Jesus

This were my notes for my sharing on our Prayer and Fasting week. The Theme was on Hebrews 12:1–2

The Christian life is a long race, and Hebrews 12 shows us how to run it well: we put down what holds us back, we keep running the course God has given us, and we keep our eyes on Jesus.

The Call to Run

Hebrews 11 tells us about men and women who lived by faith, and they ran their part of the race without ever seeing the full promise come true. Then Hebrews 12 starts with the word “therefore,” and that’s our cue, because now the baton is in our hands.

“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.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)

1. Lay Aside Every Weight and Sin

Nobody runs a race in heavy boots with a backpack on, so a runner takes off anything that slows them down. In the same way, God calls us to put away sin and anything else that slows us down as we follow Christ.

• Sin wraps around our feet and trips us up.
• Weights can be good things, like work, food, entertainment, or our phones, when they start taking up too much of our time and our hearts.
• Fasting is a simple, practical way to put down something good for a while so we can give more of ourselves to seeking God.

2. Run With Endurance

The Christian race isn’t a sprint, so we have to keep going through hard times, temptation, tiredness, and long seasons of waiting. We know a bit about waiting here in Majuro, whether it’s for a cancelled flight or for the power to come back on, and the Christian life asks us to keep trusting God through waiting like that.

God marks out the course for each of us, so we don’t need to compare our path with anyone else’s. Our job is to keep running the race He’s given us, and endurance simply means we keep trusting and obeying Him even when the road gets hard.

3. Look Unto Jesus

The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 encourage us, but Jesus is the One we follow. He’s the author and finisher of our faith, because He opened the way, endured the cross, rose in victory, and now sits at the right hand of God.

When we keep looking at the storms around us, it’s easy to get scared and overwhelmed, but when we fix our eyes on Jesus, we find the strength to keep going. He went through suffering for the joy set before Him, and He’ll bring His people safely to the finish line.

A Prayer and Fasting Reflection

As we pray and fast this week, let’s bring these three questions to God:

1. What weight is slowing me down?
2. What sin keeps tripping me?
3. Where are my eyes?

In Christ we’re made righteous, we’re God’s children and heirs, and we’re temples of the Holy Spirit. Because of who we are in Him, we can put down what holds us back, keep running, and keep looking to Jesus.

He opened the road, ran it all the way to the end, and He gives us the strength to finish the race set before us.