Theme: STRIVE TO BE SAVED
Text: “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.” – Hebrews 12:1.
Comment: The Holy Scriptures contain accounts of righteous men and women whose unwavering faith and patience as highlighted in Hebrews chapter eleven earned them a good report by the grace of God. They serve as refreshing examples for us whenever we are faced with opposing circumstances from the devil. In Hebrews 6:12, Apostle Paul encourages us to be “followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” The Apostle further reiterated the need for patience, such that, “after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:35,36). These references strengthen the importance of patience for all who seek for eternal life.
The “sin which doth so easily beset us” as expressed in the text for today, refers to those errors we are readily inclined to. While the New King James Version renders it “the sin which so easily ensnares us”, the Contemporary English Version conveys it as “the sin that just won’t let go” and the Aramaic Bible In Plain English captures it “the sin which is always ready for us”.
The point is, every individual striving for the mastery must pray to acquire the spiritual maturity, restraint and discipline to detach himself from things God hates so as to wholly concentrate on the joy that is set before us.