“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1–3)
Have you ever seen the movie, The Three Amigos with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase? (Yes, it’s a comedy). There is a ridiculous scene where Steve Martin is up on a high wall "quietly” trying to get Martin Short and Chevy Chase’s attention. (They are literally right below him “waiting for his signal.”) Steve Martin tries bird calls, each one more elaborate and expressive than the last. The whippoorwill’s call degrades into “Look up here... Look up here” and finally, in a moment of pure frustration, he yells, “HEY YOU GUYS!” Lately, the LORD has been trying to get my attention and has been calling me to “Look up here... look up here” through
Hebrews 12:1-3.
Hebrews 12 speaks of a race. Some of you may like to run but truth be told, it’s not my favorite pastime. Spiritually speaking though, that is what God is calling us all to do, to run the race He has set before us. This is no sprint; this is the marathon called LIFE. How do we do it? How are we to endure? Pure and simple, we must fix our eyes on Jesus. Good runners don’t run with their eyes on the ground; they look up and ahead; they want to see where they are going.
What do we see when we cast our eyes up to Jesus? We see a risen Savior seated at the right hand of the throne of God, AND we see a Savior who also ran a race, who shows us how to run, a Savior with nail-pierced hands and feet. On this earth, Christ ran, Christ endured, and Christ fixed His eyes on the JOY set before Him: the JOY that the cross would bring, the accomplishment of the Father’s will, the purchase and cleansing of our souls through His blood and sacrifice on that cross.
You and I are wrapped up in that JOY, His JOY. He ran the race for us and now He calls us to run the race for Him and in Him, in the strength He provides through His Spirit that abides forever within each one who belongs to Him. That strength, weary pilgrim, comes as we “consider Him”--literally as we are “consumed with considering” Jesus—"who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself.” Why did He do that? “So that you [and I] will not grow weary and lose heart" (verse 3).
When my eyes are fixed on my earthy cares (problems I can’t fix, people I love who are suffering beyond description), it is easy to grow weary and lose heart. If you find yourself in such a place, I encourage you to look up, to keep looking up, to “set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth” (Colossians 3:4). Take God’s word to heart, take courage from your courageous Savior and run.
“Do not fear, for I am with you, do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
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