Paul Chesworth’s Favourite Verse: Hebrews 12:1

By Paul Chesworth    21st December 2000    1 response

Hebrews 12:1   Expand passage

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

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The story is told of the marathon runner in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. One particular competitor was a long way ahead of the rest of the field and running really well. With about a mile of the twenty six mile race still to go, the camera which was filming him was transmitted onto a giant screen within the Olympic stadium.

At that moment, the entire arena of spectators burst into applause and cheers, and eagerly awaited the arrival of this first athlete. Of course, the runner could not hear what was going on in the stadium, yet as he entered the arena, the applause electrified. Bearing in mind that the spectators had already been applauding and cheering for five minutes, this must have been a moment to savour for all present, especially the competitor.

The Christian life is like a marathon race – it is long and it is hard, and sometimes we fall or get knocked down. Yet, we have this “great cloud of witnesses” of people who have gone before us and are now cheering us on in the heavenly stadium. Like the athlete in the story, we cannot hear them, yet they are there, urging us on, encouraging us to get up when we fall, and longing for our arrival. What a moment it will be when we actually do arrive!

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