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, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth , and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth . 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence : shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live ? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure ; but he for our profit , that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby .
How easily do you and I fall into sin, and bad habits? Well if you are anything like me you sin before you even think about it. Sin so easily bests each of us but yet the first verse states that we need to set that aside. Now there is never any instruction given by God that is not possible for us; that he does not supply the grace to do. Wow think about that for a minute. God instructs us to set aside the sin that so easily beset us and thereby He will provide the grace for us to leave it behind. Thereby we can ask God to give us the victory and have that victory at that immediate moment. Does that mean that we will always have the victory immediately? Not at all. There will be times when we will need to battle against these sins and there will be times that God gives immediate absolute victory. However we must be ready to realise that both are ways in which we set aside the sins that so easily beset us. However there is one thing that we cannot and must not forget in this. That is that victory involves total repentance. Repentance is a total turn around it involves our mind, our hearts and our actions. It changes where our focus is, which leads into the very next verse fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith.
IS Jesus your focus? Are you willing to put Jesus at the centre of your focus? is He your all in all, that no matter what else you are called to do or where you are called to go that Jesus your focus and you only think of Him, and bringing glory to Him?
Think about the rest. Discipline, sons, and children of God all of this is wonderful. This is a beautiful passage showing who we are in Christ.
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