Hebrews 12:1-3
Distraction. The definition of distraction; a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else or extreme agitation of the mind or emotions. Do you ever feel like your name could be right there in the dictionary being used as one who is easily distracted? There are so many distractions in life that turn our attention away from the task at hand. Some of the distractions while writing this; the dogs needed to be let outside, hunger, grandkids, staring out the window at the birds, my idiot box aka phone. Some of those things were actually great distractions such as when my grandchild woke up early and wanted to sit on my lap and read a book. Distractions are everywhere. And then there are those spiritual distractions that take our mind and attention away from the things of the Holy Spirit, things that hinder our JOYRIDE pursuit, our race of faith.
The author of Hebrews has some encouragement that we can use to persevere through the challenges of Christian life and uses the analogy of an athletic race to urge believers to be rid of distractions.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3”.
Doesn’t it just pump you up to know that we have a host of past courageous and godly people surrounding and watching us from the heavenly clouds? But ugh, we still can get held back; distracted and entangled. Our past can become a crutch to our future and our flesh clamors for attention and affection. It begs to be fed. We might think that those distractions are so minute that they won’t matter, but even a small weight tied to the foot of a strong runner eventually leads to stumbling and struggling. Sin is described as an encumbrance, a weight, that would hold back a runner. Pictured as something that might entangle the runner. Each of us is vulnerable to these snares that divert our attention away from pursuing God and fulfilling His purpose. How do we leave the past behind? How do we overcome this?
The author of Hebrews offers a solution. Shed those things, walk away from them, and purge ourselves from the distractions. Strip down, "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”, start running—and never quit. It is imperative to fix our eyes on Jesus: We need to stay focused on the Lord Jesus who has finished the race, endured it all, and kept a pure heart.
Distraction. The definition of distraction; a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else or extreme agitation of the mind or emotions. Do you ever feel like your name could be right there in the dictionary being used as one who is easily distracted? There are so many distractions in life that turn our attention away from the task at hand. Some of the distractions while writing this; the dogs needed to be let outside, hunger, grandkids, staring out the window at the birds, my idiot box aka phone. Some of those things were actually great distractions such as when my grandchild woke up early and wanted to sit on my lap and read a book. Distractions are everywhere. And then there are those spiritual distractions that take our mind and attention away from the things of the Holy Spirit, things that hinder our JOYRIDE pursuit, our race of faith.
The author of Hebrews has some encouragement that we can use to persevere through the challenges of Christian life and uses the analogy of an athletic race to urge believers to be rid of distractions.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3”.
Doesn’t it just pump you up to know that we have a host of past courageous and godly people surrounding and watching us from the heavenly clouds? But ugh, we still can get held back; distracted and entangled. Our past can become a crutch to our future and our flesh clamors for attention and affection. It begs to be fed. We might think that those distractions are so minute that they won’t matter, but even a small weight tied to the foot of a strong runner eventually leads to stumbling and struggling. Sin is described as an encumbrance, a weight, that would hold back a runner. Pictured as something that might entangle the runner. Each of us is vulnerable to these snares that divert our attention away from pursuing God and fulfilling His purpose. How do we leave the past behind? How do we overcome this?
The author of Hebrews offers a solution. Shed those things, walk away from them, and purge ourselves from the distractions. Strip down, "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”, start running—and never quit. It is imperative to fix our eyes on Jesus: We need to stay focused on the Lord Jesus who has finished the race, endured it all, and kept a pure heart.
Posted in Devotional