Mensa Otabil - Put Aside the Weight
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Hebrews 12 verse 1: Therefore, we also, 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. This exaltation draws from the analogy of the ancient Roman race. The Greeks did it, and the Romans did it; they would run in the arenas. It’s similar to what we do in our athletic competitions today: people run in large arenas with cheering spectators in the stands. The passage draws on this to talk about the Christian race, which has some similarity to a natural race in a stadium. There are three things I want you to pay attention to.
The first is that we are surrounded by witnesses. In any athletic endeavor, there will be spectators in the stands, and these spectators will be cheering on those who are running or performing so that they do well. There are people in the stands. The Bible tells us that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Who are these witnesses? They are the men and women of faith who have lived before us and who are cheering us on. It doesn’t mean they are physically cheering us on, but their lives and stories, which we read about, cheer us on. When you read about David and Goliath, and you read about Noah building the ark and all the opposition he faced, and how he persisted, and you read about Gideon winning a battle with just 300 men, all of these stories cheer us on to say, «Keep running! Keep running! Don’t stop running!» Others have run the race ahead of us, and they didn’t quit, so we have the testimonies of our cloud of witnesses, the spectators in our stands.
The second thing the passage says is to lay aside every weight. Excess weight is the chief enemy of every runner. Everybody who runs any race, whether long-distance or short-distance, does not want to carry excess weight. You don’t want to have extra body fat. You could have it if you’re doing the shot put, where you need a lot of weight, but if you’re running a race, you don’t want one extra pound on your body.
The Bible says that in the same way, we must not have anything extra on us when we run the Christian race. We must not have sin, bad habits, or anything that hinders us from running the race effectively. Many times, we sabotage ourselves with bad practices, bad habits, and bad behavior, and we pick up all these negative things and still want to run successfully in the Christian race. It doesn’t happen that way. It doesn’t happen in a natural race, nor does it happen in our spiritual race. So we must put aside all excess baggage-everything that is excess baggage: the kinds of TV shows you watch, the kinds of things you see on the internet, the kinds of books you read, the kinds of conversations you have-all of these can be excess weight.
The third thing is to run with endurance. The Christian race is likened to a long-distance race. A long-distance race thrives on endurance, while a short-distance race thrives on speed. For someone running a marathon, speed is not really an asset except at the end when they finish the race; then they can burst out with speed. But for the rest of their race, they must endure and have stamina. The Christian life is not just something you live for one day, or two days, or a year — fast and hot for the Lord and then backslide for the rest of the year. No! You stay the course, you remain in the fire of the Lord, and may the Lord give all of us endurance.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, help me to lay aside every weight that hinders my progress, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.