HeBrews: A Better Blend
As we continue our look at Hebrews 12: 1-2 and see some tips for running a great faith journey, let’s consider verse one again.
‘So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. (NLT)
Never give up! Get rid of what hinders! Let’s look at both of these for a moment.
Get rid of what hinders!
As I researched the meaning of the Greek words used here, one struck me in particular. It seems to be a fairly innocuous word, but in it, I believe, is hidden the key to getting rid of what hinders us. Verse 2 tells us to get rid of, in general, anything that gets in the way of our faith walk. Anything means anything…whatever is an obstacle to you walking in faith needs to go. What presents an obstacle to you might not be an obstacle to me. For one it might be pornography, while for another the obstacle might be Facebook or Twitter. For one the obstacle could be a friendship, while for another it might be money. There are as many obstacles to faith as there are people. The key is identifying your obstacle.
MEDITATION MOMENT: I’m going to throw our meditation moment smack-dab in the middle of our lesson today. Take a few moments, pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you any obstacles, any hindrances to your faith. It may be something that is a good thing, but not a God thing. Don’t rule our anything. Please take time to do this.
The author of Hebrews then goes on to be very specific about one thing that hinders us: sin. Disobedience to God. Doing what we know is outside of God’s revealed will.
Now, to the key to getting rid of what hinders. The Greek word used for getting rid of is apotithemi and it means to lay aside, get rid of, do away with. It is a verb and a verb, as we all learned in high school English class (thank you, Mrs. Myers) is an action word. It requires that WE do something. The sin and hindrances to your faith journey, to my faith journey must be dealt with by each of us, and us alone. I cannot deal with your hindrances and you cannot deal with mine. Each of us must take the incentive; do the work of laying aside and getting rid of our hindrances and sin. Until we take that responsibility and do the hard thing, we will never have a great faith walk. We cannot hang onto our pet sins and expect to find our names in God’s Hall of Faith. We must boldly confront them and refuse to give them place in our lives!
In this moment you and I need to decide if we are serious about leaving a legacy of faith for those to whom we will pass the baton. If we are not willing to take the necessary actions to get rid of sin and hindrances in our lives, we are not ready to walk out a great faith journey. We cannot pass the baton of faith to the next generation until we deal with our sin.
Next week will look at the second tip for a vibrant faith journey: Never give up!!
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