this passage to lay aside every weight. This isn’t necessarily of sin ful origin. Yet if there’s something to keep us from running a strong, clean, hard race, it will become an unnecessary weight. As an example, it’s not particularly sinful to look at a good television program, sports event, or something of that sort. But, if we’re looking at it when we ought to be out witnessing, then that be comes a weight. There are other weights which may be perfectly all right of themselves, but whenever they deprive us of doing business for Jesus Christ, then they become weights. What a word of urging to forsake the sin which doth so easily beset us! What is yours? What is it that most frequently causes you to break fellowship with the Lord? It may be a temper. Impatience may be your besetting sin. It makes you irritable towards others. What this most fre quent sin is must be between you and your Lord. Make no mistake; He knows what it is. Now, in the affirmative and with the positive, we are commanded to run with patience the race that is set before us. This means we ought to do our dead-level best to run faith fully. We leave the results to Christ. A good runner is totally oblivious to anything that would distract him. He has but one desire and purpose, and that’s to get down to the finish line. This is the direction for our viewing as well. We should keep our eyes solidly upon Christ, “The au thor and finisher of our faith.” Christ went to the cross because of the joy that was set before Him, realizing what redemption meant to mankind. Because of the extent of Jesus’ thought of us, dying in our stead and for our sin, certainly our reasonable service is to run with pa tience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, keeping our eyes steadfast upon Him, to His glory, and all to His praise.
THE ACTIVE CHR IST IAN by Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland W E hear much today about the silent majority, and so often that could describe the Christians who are not actively serving the Lord. We have a wonderful example given for us in Hebrews 12:1 and 2. The preceding portion is the great faith chapter of the Bible. Over and over again we read in this 11th chapter the words, “by faith,” “by faith,” “by faith.” Seeing we're en compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, we are exhorted to live the life of Christ in our own generation comparable to what they did in their own time. This phrase, “a cloud of witnesses,” some think of as referring to a great host of alumni. They’re pictured as sitting in the bleachers of heaven, looking down upon the arena in which we’re living today, observing how we run the race. I don’t believe that is what’s meant here. Heaven is a per fectly happy place where the people are absolutely thrilled in the pres ence of the Lord Jesus C h rist. There’s no remorse of any kind whatsoever. Then how could our loved ones who have gone before see our condition and not be con cerned? We could take that word, “cloud” and insert the word “host” or “company of witnesses.” This means exactly the same thing. This great cloud of witnesses were faith ful in their day. They witnessed a strong testimony for the Lord. So, let us, in our generation, be wit nesses, living a strong, faithful life, to the glory of the Saviour. To be effective, we’re exhorted in
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