“Do you see what this means – all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running – and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” -Hebrews 12:1-3
Keep your eyes on Jesus!
Friends, this world we are living in is fighting for our eyes… and the devil ain’t no fool. He knows if he can get our eyes off Jesus, he has a better chance of getting us off course. He has a better chance of getting us to quit the race that is set before us.
I think that is why we find in Scripture so many times… fix your eyes on Jesus. Fix your eyes. Fix your eyes. Because the apostles knew, where we look we will go. They knew what we behold we will become.
So we are going to have to fight. We need all the endurance we can get because it is not easy. But we have the perfect example to look to. Jesus did it, He ran the ultra marathon race. He is the one that ultimately did it… and guess what guys! The SAME Spirit that helped Him accomplish His race, is in US. The same Holy Spirit that at Bethlehem who was God with us… and at Calvary was God for us… and today is God in us… that same Spirit that lives on the inside of us gives us the power to do this race. We can’t do it by ourselves and God knew we couldn’t, that is why He sent Jesus.
Jesus endured.
He endured when He started His ministry from the outside. He endured when He was sent into the wilderness for 40 days and tempted by Satan. He endured when His own family did not understand what He was doing. He endured when His early followers misunderstood Him. He endured when the Pharisees lied about Him. He endured when His disciples scattered. He endured when the Sadducees conspired to capture Him. He endured when Judas betrayed Him for 30 lousy pieces of silver. He endured when He pled with God in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying “ I? don’t want to do this! Would you take this cup from Me?” And even when God did not take the cup from Him, when He didn’t give Him what He wanted… He still endured. When the temple guard arrested Him, He still endured. When He went through six illegal trials, He still endured. When Pilot handed Him over to the crowd, He still endured. When Peter denied Him, He still endured. When the crowds yelled “Crucify Him”, He still endured. When the soldiers mocked and ridiculed Him, He still endured. When they whipped Him beyond recognition, He still endured. When they put a crown of thorns on His head, He still endured. When they hammered Him to a cross, He still endured. When all the forces of hell came against Him, He still endured. When He absorbed the sins of all humanity, He still endured. And as He cried out, “It is finished”, He still endured.
And the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, lives inside of you… lives inside of me! Therefore, we can run our race. We can complete our course.
Friends, if Jesus endured… we can too. All we have to do is fix our eyes on Jesus and just keep trekking on. Don’t stop! The finish line is waiting! I am clinging onto this truth as I head into South America to finish my last four months of the World Race.
