Hebrews 12.1-2 NLT




'And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.'
It is often and rightly observed that life is not a sprint but a marathon. If we are honest that is not what we want to hear because we would like life to have as few challenges and problems as possible, but the truth is that we all need to learn how to “hang in there” through thick and thin. Here the writer to the Hebrews reminds his readers that this is what the life of faith is all about. We have to endure and he clearly has in mind that the church to which he was writing was likely to experience considerable persecution and suffering. If they thought that living for Christ was going to be a leisurely walk in the park then they needed to change their thinking quickly.
By itself that would be a rather bleak message. But the whole purpose of the writer is to bring encouragement and he knows that, as we focus our attention on Jesus, we will gain all the inspiration and strength that we need for the road ahead. He urges his readers to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. His language is very specific and makes it clear that there will be many other things that could distract our attention. We will need to work hard to ensure that Jesus is the primary focus of our attention. That’s a good challenge for all of us because life is full of distractions. We need to shape our lives in such a way that Jesus is kept in focus. I have many friends who find it helpful to start the day in prayer. Many of them use these notes to encourage them as the day begins. My father was a businessman and he travelled up to London every day for 40 years and throughout that time he had a time reading the Bible and praying between two particular stations on that journey! Every year he read through the whole Bible and these times with God, amidst the bustle of the morning commuters, helped to keep him focused on Jesus. It really doesn’t matter how you do it. What matters is that we do those things which will help us to maintain our focus on Jesus.




Question: What more can you do to make Jesus the daily focus of your attention?
Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for Jesus and ask that you will help me to make him increasingly the inspiration and strength of my life. Amen

Released on 7 Mar 2022