Hebrews 12:1, “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,”

Our Christian life is like running a race, demanding effort, focus, and endurance. The writer tells us what we must do: “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” 

“Weights” aren’t always sin; they are things that, like heavy clothes on a runner, slow us down and hinder our walk with Christ. Our choices aren’t just between right and wrong, but between what hinders our spiritual race and what helps it. It’s our responsibility to actively remove these distractions. 

Then there’s “the sin which doth so easily beset us.” This is what God calls wrong, and we must actively turn away from it, with the Holy Spirit’s help. We cannot blame others for our sin; we must choose to lay it aside. We are called to run with patience and determination. 

God has set a race before each of us. We must run it actively, not passively. We lay aside the weights and sins (our responsibility) and then trust God to give us the strength and power to transform us. Without Christ, we cannot truly change. Only in Christ are we new creations, truly able to run this race successfully. 

(Today’s devotion was authored by Bro. Joshua Soliz, a LIFE Group leader and preacher at RBC.)