Run With Joy

Have you ever felt trapped in your own life? Like going nowhere fast? What do you do about it? How do you handle it? Eat more? Go shopping more? Become a workaholic?

We all have ways to hide behind our discouragement or depression. Maybe you are thinking if we are a child of God, we shouldn't even have these moments. But the truth of the matter is, we do. The answer is not to stay there or try to "bury" ourselves in the trap. Of course, we wouldn't want our friends to know. But if we continue down the road of discouragement, friends will know. Our expressions and attitudes will soon speak louder than our words.

Did I find a solution this morning? Yes.
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, 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.
(Hebrews 12:1-2

When I read this, I thought "we really do have a great cloud of witnesses." I find it in Hebrews 11. These people lived their life out in faith. Believing God in the midst of suffering, discouragement, sin. We often look at Abraham, Gideon, Noah, David, Samuel, the prophets as being men of unusual power. Oh, but they didn't know the end of the story of their life. They trusted God and obeyed Him one step at a time. We know how their story ended. Remember, they didn't. Just like you and I don't know what our next step will be.

So today, we take these witnesses, learn from them. We lay aside those burdens that weigh us down. We ask God to forgive our sins, and we leave that sin at the foot of the cross. Run with patience (yes, even if you have to run with one leg). Just Run...into the arms of Jesus. Most of all, in all of this..look to Jesus..He endured the cross with joy. He is the author of our faith.

Learn from the witnesses given in Hebrews 11. Run with Joy.

Have a great day and
God bless you