THINK VICTORY! ENDURANCE

ENDURANCE

Hebrews 12:1-2 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.

When we started our canoe trip, I thought to myself, “This isn’t so hard.” The excitement of getting on the river and getting to our first campsite made paddling quite easy. However, the second day was another story. When you use muscles that you haven’t used in a long time, they tend to remind you just how long it’s been since you’ve used them. To complicate things, when your canoe is moving into a headwind, you can paddle and paddle and literally go nowhere. The wind keeps you from moving. It is in those kinds of situations that you must persevere. That’s when endurance is key. It also helps if you have a light load in your canoe. A minimum of camping supplies keep the canoes light. The third day was even more difficult for many of us. We needed endurance to get us through. As we neared the end of the journey, we had fresh energy to push through the fatigue to the finish.

The writer of Hebrews calls us to “run with endurance.” The Christian life is a marathon – not a sprint. We can run more efficiently as we “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.” An encumbrance may not necessarily be a sinful thing, but is can hinder how fast you run the race. Sin trips us up; encumbrances slow us up. They are unnecessary weights – “Stuff” that gets in the way of our victorious walk in Christ. It could be insecurities, the opinion of others, and things of that nature. If we slip or fall, we must get back up and keep running. Keep your eyes on the prize! Jesus stands ready at the finish line cheering you on – “You can do it!” As you focus on Him today, my prayer is that you will have renewed strength to run the race and finish well. (from Pastor Mike Woods – Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries for Men – America’s KESWICK)

GREAT QUOTE: -- “Unbelief looks at God through the circumstances, just as we often see the sun dimmed by clouds and smoke. But faith puts God between itself and its circumstances, and looks at them through Him.” – Mrs. Charles Cowman