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.

(Hebrews 12,1.2)

The Christian pathway of faith on earth is often compared with a race in Holy Scripture. There are allusions to the regular championships that took place in the Roman Empire at that time. In today's verse we learn some of the conditions that need to be fulfilled in order to run a good race of faith.

The Christian must lay aside two things: first, "the sin which so easily ensnares us" and secondly "every weight". We can well understand that sins hinder the course of a believer's life. This is shown in an illustration when the two disciples of the Lord, Peter and John, ran to the tomb where the Lord was laid (cf. John 20,4). John was quicker than Peter, who was probably feeling depressed because he had denied the Lord. A heavy load weighed on his heart and slowed him down: his threefold denial of the Lord. But through the Lord's grace he was restored, so that he could once again run well in the race.

What are the weights? They need not be things that are evil in themselves, nor tasks that God has given us to do and that seem to us like burdens. Take, for example, timeconsuming hobbies or certain idiosyncracies in our character. These may be hindrances as we run in the race of faith. To know what constitutes a weight, we need only start running. We shall soon see what hinders us. Then we can do only one thing: lay it aside with the Lord's help.

Good Seed Calendar, October 16, 2006