"We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne. Think about Jesus' example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying."
-Hebrews 12:1-3
Following Hebrews 11, we are surrounded in stories of faith. Just as the old covenant saints, they died in faith trusting that God would bring all of his promises to final fulfillment. Likewise, this is the point that the author makes in Hebrews 12. We are called to "run with endurance the race that is set before us" (12:1).
We see that the life of faith is like a race that must be run with endurance so that the finish line may be crossed. As a prospector of many running meets, I feel one main motivation to run this race is the great "cloud of witnesses" surrounding them. In any race, the stadium is filled with great amounts of fans cheering on runners to victory. In the race that is the Christian life, the old covenant saints described in chapter 11 are our biggest fans. They cheer us on through the example of their faithful endurance, waiting for the promises of God to come. They encourage us to run. "Run, brothers and sisters, run and do not stop holding onto Christ." Even when we feel hindered by the weight of our deepest sins, we can all remember that by ourselves we would never make it. But by the grace of God, our number one fan, he can lift us up even when the weight of the world or our Christian marathon seems to be slowing us down. For we know that "God works all things together for those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
So whether we are actually running or continuing to be the cheerleaders, may we all have the endurance to greet God at our finish line.
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