Hebrews 12:1-7
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us… https://youtu.be/1fNWTZZwgbs
While the recommended scripture reading this morning is Hebrews 12:1-7, I’d like us to focus on just Hebrews 12:1 for this moment. This verse is the conclusion of a grand declaration listing outstanding progenitors of our faith that went on to glory without ever receiving the fulfillment of the promise they were waiting to receive. And instead of bemoaning or complaining about what they didn’t receive here on earth, the writer reminds us of their greater reward in heaven. Then later in the 12th chapter he juxtaposes the position of the man Jesus on the cross, to the Risen Christ sitting on His throne in heaven. Jesus and the many faithful men and women of God forfeited their own ambitions and dreams to expressly follow the direction of the Lord. Ultimately it was their tenacity, drive and discipline that won the day.
You can’t help but come away from studying this text with the understanding that it’s God’s sole intention to have a people of faith that follow and believe Him with all their hearts. In verse 12:1 we are being instructed to employ the same strategies that all the successful believers have followed: Self discipline. And it’s this discipline that conditions us to run the race set before us. But keep reading and you will find that for those that fail to discipline themselves, God has a cure. He will administer His chastisement; or as I’m calling it today, “medicine”.
Remember a few weeks ago when we spoke of how important it was to refrain from eating the wrong food? We mentioned the discipline of refraining from purchasing those items that were bad for our health. But what I failed to include in that discussion was the discipline of ensuring that what we did eat was indeed good for us. That is a deeper level of scrutiny and self evaluation that must be had to truly reach peek efficiency and performance. Now clearly I’m not just talking about food this morning. There are spiritual parallels that we have to uncover and understand.
God is serious about us. He has invested the best heaven has to offer in our earthen, carnal bodies. He has established His residence in each of us. And He’s not about to let us fail, fall, give up or quit. Consequently, we have one of two options. Exercise discipline or be ready for some tough medicine.
Let me explain. I’ve been doing my best refraining from purchasing certain foods that I know I shouldn’t eat in abundance. That’s one form of discipline. But I didn’t do my diligence to ensure that the food I was eating was free from harmful chemicals, preservatives and things that ought not go into your body. Strange as it may sound, those are the things that are causing me the most health challenges. Now here’s the tricky part. To be totally “healthy” I need to make some permanent changes in my life that are difficult, time consuming and a bit painful. Or, I can take medicine.
Medicine is tricky. Initially it seems so wonderful. Easy. Very little stress and strain. Just take the required dosage and voila’ you miraculously feel better. But as we all know, medicine has side effects. Sometimes very painful side effects.
Let’s not fool ourselves. God needs us prepared for the battles ahead. We must be in excellent spiritual health. And the advisable way to accomplish that is through discipline. Although discipline is often difficult and life altering, it provides us with the best opportunity to meet the demands of spiritual warfare and enjoy the wins. In order for runners to run effectively, they must train, be in shape and endure the rigors of workouts. They can cheat, use drugs and have some semblance of success; but in the end, shortcuts are extremely costly.
People of Grace, just know that God is in our corner. There’s a way that seems right to us, but as we all know, the only correct way is God’s way. He will chasten those that He loves like a good father does his child. He will administer whatever measures it takes to get us to comply with what is needed to get us to the glorious position He has prepared for us. So it’s up to us. We gonna make it, either through discipline or medicine. But if you chose medicine, watch those side effects!
God bless
