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Today I was reading in Hebrews 11, which is regarded as the “faith chapter of the Bible,” for it lists numerous people of faith from the Old Testament and the things that they did and how they lived in loving response to God, by faith in God. They obeyed God. They did what was pleasing to God and that which aligned with his will and purpose for their lives. They followed his instructions for them, sometimes not even knowing where they were going or what the final outcome was going to look like, exactly.
They walked by faith, and not by sight. But they were not all the same. Their circumstances were not all the same. And how God called them, and how God used them was not all the same, either. And they were not all perfect people, either. Some of them may have obeyed God just in their final moments on the earth, or perhaps later in life, but these are examples for us to show us what it means to have faith in God and to walk by faith, and not by sight, and to do what pleases God and is for his will and purpose.
So, when this begins with “therefore,” we need to go back and see what it is “there for.” For this is in reference to the examples given to us in chapter 11 on what it looks like to walk by and/or to act in faith in the Lord. And so this is a continuation of that same topic and what that should be like for us today who profess faith in Jesus Christ, to be Lord and Savior of our lives. For, just like for the people of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11, their faith resulted in actions and results which aligned with God’s will and purpose for their lives.
And here we are instructed, as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, that we are to lay aside (discard, put to death, get rid of) every encumbrance (hindrance) to our walks of faith and the sin (lies, adulteries, disobedience, etc.) which so easily entangles (deceives, tricks, captures) us. For Jesus Christ died for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that we will die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For we cannot obey God if sin is still our practice (habit, lifestyle, practice).
By God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in the Lord Jesus, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness. Thus, we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its lusts. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
So, we must put sin to death, by the Spirit, so that we can run the race (walk the walk) that God has for us to walk (run, live) as his followers who love him and who obey him, in practice, by his grace, in his power. For his grace, which is bringing us salvation, is instructing (training) us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return (see Titus 2:11-14). For he died to deliver us out of our addiction to sin so we’ll obey him with our lives.
And if our eyes (judgments, discernment, sense) are fixed on (directed towards, focused on, having our thoughts centered in) Jesus Christ, and who he is, and in what he did for us in his death on that cross, and on our relationships with him, and his power over our lives, we are going to walk with him in obedience to his commands and no longer in sin. This doesn’t mean we will be absolutely perfect in every respect, but that sin should no longer have mastery over our lives and our lives should be under God.
For Jesus Christ, not us, is the author and the perfecter of our faith – a faith which comes from God, is persuaded of God, and is gifted to us by God, and is not of our own doing. So we do not get to define what that faith looks like. God does. His word does, but taught in full context, not out of context. And if we read the Scriptures in their fulness, we will see that faith, which comes from God, and is persuaded of God, is going to result in us denying self, putting sin to death by the Spirit, and walking in obedience to our Lord.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Let Us Run With Endurance
An Original Work / May 1, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
They walked by faith, and not by sight. But they were not all the same. Their circumstances were not all the same. And how God called them, and how God used them was not all the same, either. And they were not all perfect people, either. Some of them may have obeyed God just in their final moments on the earth, or perhaps later in life, but these are examples for us to show us what it means to have faith in God and to walk by faith, and not by sight, and to do what pleases God and is for his will and purpose.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB1995)
So, when this begins with “therefore,” we need to go back and see what it is “there for.” For this is in reference to the examples given to us in chapter 11 on what it looks like to walk by and/or to act in faith in the Lord. And so this is a continuation of that same topic and what that should be like for us today who profess faith in Jesus Christ, to be Lord and Savior of our lives. For, just like for the people of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11, their faith resulted in actions and results which aligned with God’s will and purpose for their lives.
And here we are instructed, as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, that we are to lay aside (discard, put to death, get rid of) every encumbrance (hindrance) to our walks of faith and the sin (lies, adulteries, disobedience, etc.) which so easily entangles (deceives, tricks, captures) us. For Jesus Christ died for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that we will die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For we cannot obey God if sin is still our practice (habit, lifestyle, practice).
By God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in the Lord Jesus, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness. Thus, we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its lusts. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
So, we must put sin to death, by the Spirit, so that we can run the race (walk the walk) that God has for us to walk (run, live) as his followers who love him and who obey him, in practice, by his grace, in his power. For his grace, which is bringing us salvation, is instructing (training) us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return (see Titus 2:11-14). For he died to deliver us out of our addiction to sin so we’ll obey him with our lives.
And if our eyes (judgments, discernment, sense) are fixed on (directed towards, focused on, having our thoughts centered in) Jesus Christ, and who he is, and in what he did for us in his death on that cross, and on our relationships with him, and his power over our lives, we are going to walk with him in obedience to his commands and no longer in sin. This doesn’t mean we will be absolutely perfect in every respect, but that sin should no longer have mastery over our lives and our lives should be under God.
For Jesus Christ, not us, is the author and the perfecter of our faith – a faith which comes from God, is persuaded of God, and is gifted to us by God, and is not of our own doing. So we do not get to define what that faith looks like. God does. His word does, but taught in full context, not out of context. And if we read the Scriptures in their fulness, we will see that faith, which comes from God, and is persuaded of God, is going to result in us denying self, putting sin to death by the Spirit, and walking in obedience to our Lord.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Let Us Run With Endurance
An Original Work / May 1, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
