Topic: Travelling Light [Thursday December 3, 2015]
Text: Hebrews 12:1-4
Key Verse: “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)
What is a besetting sin? It is a sin that besieges; one that is unyielding, yoked to its host as it were. In sports, like skating and biking, blocking and boxing are strategies to control and stymie the efforts of an opponent. A besetting sin hems you in. It blocks you. It trips you up to fall. The sin that besets you does not just slow you down – it blocks and even stops your progress.
The clouds of witnesses here are true heroes of faith who died for their testimony of Jesus. Though these witnesses paid the ultimate price for their faith, they are still alive and are actively cheering the believers on till we finish our race. From the text, a race has been “set before us.” God wants us to lay aside every besetting sin and run with patience, while looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Certainly, all sin is bad for the Christian pilgrim; but for most of us, there is a sin that is particularly besetting… it is the sin that we struggle with all the time.
It may be an addiction or obsession, a habit, an attitude, a bias, a critical spirit, a bad temper, selfishness, gossip, bitterness, being untruthful, impatience, an envious spirit, Internet porn, self-righteousness, and the list goes on and on. We must consciously shake off hindrances that hold us back from completing the race that is set before us. If we fail to do this, the weight of besetting sin can be a hindrance to our eventual coronation.
Thought for the day: Running while fully suited is a recipe for defeat.
Bible Reading in one Year: Isaiah 5-8
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
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