Lay Aside Every Weight

In my Bible study, we are finishing up the book of Hebrews. I was struck last week by a verse in chapter 12: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles..."

Did you catch that? There is a distinction between weight and sin. Sometimes, we are asked to lay aside neutral or even good things for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God. Sometimes that means turning off that TV show to spend time with a lonely friend. Sometimes it means setting aside time with friends in order to spend time with the Lord. Sometimes it means choosing to not buy a new car so that you the opportunity to spend that money in other places. Sometimes it means you leave the place and people you love and move halfway across the world to preach the gospel to people who haven't heard it.

These weights look different for everyone. This isn't a formula. What this requires is to obey the command that follows: "looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." It is only when you look to Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. that you will lay aside every weight. When you look at Jesus, the only proper response is to count everything else as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.