Steps to a Great Race

Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Look at the spectators - This is immediately follow chapter 11 The Great Hall of Faith, but I think even includes those who we have known who would they have been alive during this time, might have been included in this mighty list of people.

A group of people who are not just spectators but a cheering throng, cheering you on, to persevere, to run with all your might. Lay aside the weight - Put down anything that would slow you down or be a hindrance to others.

Earlier this year I was intrigued by an article that talked about the importance people place in carry-on bags on planes

On August 3, 2016, Emirates airlines flight 521 crashed at Dubai International Airport. The pilots had just set down the plane when they received a warning that they had landed too late—they would run out of runway before the plane could come to a safe stop. They initiated the go-around procedure which would allow them to lift off, circle the airport, and try again. The plane rose off the runway and began to climb, but then suddenly sank back down and crashed into the ground. It skidded for 800 meters before coming to rest. The crew took immediate action and, remarkably, all 300 people safely evacuated the plane before it was consumed by flames.

Had you been an onlooker watching the evacuation, you would have noticed a troubling phenomenon. Many of the people pouring out of that plane and sliding down the emergency chutes were clutching bags and suitcases. A video taken aboard the plane shows the immediate aftermath of the crash and in the chaos passengers are seen opening the overhead luggage compartments and hauling down their luggage. Seconds later, as they exit the plane, flight attendants are yelling, “Leave your bags behind!” Yet photographs show dazed passengers wandering the tarmac with their bags in tow.

Photographs of the evacuation of a Cathay Pacific plane show passengers sliding down the chute with bags over their arms and shoulders. When Asiana flight 214 crashed in San Francisco, a number of passengers were photographed walking away from the burning wreckage clutching their suitcases. A police officer who arrived at the scene had to stop others from climbing back into the plane to retrieve their belongings. British Airways 2276 in Las Vegas and U.S. Airways 1702 continue to prove the pattern.

It hardly needs to be said that grabbing your suitcase during an evacuation is a bad idea. It may even be a deadly idea.

To take your suitcase is bad for you and everyone around you. It blocks the aisle as you reach overhead to retrieve it, it slows you down as you make your way to and through the exit, it becomes a dangerous object hurtling down the evacuation slide. In a situation in which every second counts, a suitcase is a dangerous impediment that can kill you and the people around you. And still people can’t bear to be without them. A study by the National Transportation Safety Board found that almost half of passengers attempt to retrieve their bags during an emergency evacuation and that they do so primarily to secure their cash and credit cards. Can you imagine risking their life and the lives of others for their cash and credit cards.

So often people are like those evacuees, trying to get their carry-on bags at all cost in the spiritual life - you might even rephrase the scripture, to, "Lay aside the suit case…" Maybe you have a baggage you can't seem to get rid of, hurt feelings, or grief, or physical pain, or whatever it might be this scripture is saying let Jesus have it, He'll take care of you.

And the Sin which does so easily beset you - this means something that knocks you down, almost like a competitor in this race,

I see some people struggle with the same thing over and over, and I wonder sometimes do they ever really want to change, as they never do anything about their changeable circumstances. I dealt with one man who was addicted to drugs and in one revival he came to me and asked if he should maybe get rid of his pipe. Being from a younger generation I wanted to say, "Well duh!" but of couse being a pastor I couldn't do that, but I do wonder why didn't he do that before. Another I worked with struggling with alcohol one paticular time the Lord was dealing with him and he asked in a confused sort of way, should I get rid of my stash? Sometimes it's just common sense but we don't see, the Hebrew writer is saying put it aside, kill it, let it God, so you can run the race with patience or endurance. Carol Off and Jeff Douglas with CBC Radio report:

Every year, a giant straw Christmas goat appears in the town square in Gävle, Sweden. And almost every year, someone sets it on fire.

… On Sunday night, the goat was set alight only hours after the town held its official welcome party.

This year it wasn't supposed to happen.

Authorities in the town had installed security cameras around the beloved goat. Two guards were hired to watch the giant straw animal.

"One of the guards went to the toilet," says Gävle goat spokesperson, Marie Wallberg. "Then the perpetrator took advantage of this opportunity."

The Gävle goat has been installed in the town centre for 50 years, and has been burned down 35 times.

"Every year we hope that he is going to stay with us," says Wallberg. "Sadly, he often turns to fire."

… Meanwhile, there is a campaign to raise money to build another Gävle goat before Christmas.

I just have to wonder, why does this goat have to be put up, or why does it have to be made of straw, why not some other type of material that isn't so flammable.

Then we are to run, not just run anyway but run looking unto Jesus, unto the end, to run with all of our might, with endurance and persistence, not letting things bog us down or hinder us.