“Fix Your Eyes On Jesus!”

“Fix Your Eyes On Jesus!”(Heb.12:1-3).
“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
During a race, runners develop inner strength and determination from standers by who come to cheer them up. The spirit of an athlete is raised higher when those who cheer him are people he knows so well.
So it is with our journey in faith. As we run the race of faith, we are encouraged by the faith of our forebears; the heroes of the past. These heroes of the faith are not just spectators who cheer us up. They were inspiring examples. Their live stories are a testimony to the power of faith and to God’s faithfulness.
The long list of the large crowd of witnesses mentioned in chapter 11 is not exhaustive. We can add to the list those men and women of faith that we know and whose resilience to surmount the challenges faced by faith-inclined persons now have become inspiring examples for us.
If the heroes of the faith were able to overcome the upheavals of sin that hinders, then we too can overcome! As athletes focus on the winning point, we faith-runners fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith. He endured the cross, scoring its shame, and now has a seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is our great inspirer; but more than that, he endured the cross and bore shame with joy, and the crown he received is rewarding to our advantage.
Jesus becomes our example to bear opposition from sinful men. When we consider the travails that he availed, we “will not grow weary and lose heart.”
As athletes, we must not carry any weight that can hinder us. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that easily entangles,” and it will be easy to reach the finish line.
We note that the author constantly refer to “Jesus,” not “Christ,” or “Jesus Christ.” This is to emphasise that Jesus endured the cross and shame in his humanity like us. So we too can!
As your faith pushes you upward, God’s grace descends downward, meets you midway, and supports you with vigour till the race is won.
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit, help us to make ourselves light as we run the race of faith with perseverance, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.