Think back to a time in your life when Jesus was close, his truth was clear in your mind, and your heart was searching for more ways to love him and others. Maybe it was a time of transition: a new faith, a new spouse, a new child, a new town, a new church, a new job. It was a time of seemingly endless possibility. God was close and on His throne.

Was that time nothing more than misinterpreted emotion? Skeptics would say yes, definitely, but for millennia, believers would answer and say — partly. However, God is always on His throne, and He is never far away. That is just a brute fact. It is our circumstances and our emotions that have altered our perception of this reality. Our circumstances and feelings change constantly. God does not. This brings me to today’s topic. How do we stay faithful to the end when our feelings do not always match our expectations? How do we finish well?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

Witnesses?

Before we get started, who or what is this “cloud of witnesses?” Unsurprisingly, there are many opinions on this. Some would say that the saints that have gone on before us are watching over us and helping us. Some would say this refers to the angels. But I think the more obvious reading is to assume that this cloud of witnesses refers to all the faithful people of the past the author just finished listing in the previous chapter, people who remained faithful whether they saw their desired outcome in their lifetime — or not.

Lay aside every weight

So, using the faithfulness of those who have gone before us as an example, let’s lay aside the things that hinder our faith and growth in the Lord. So, what are those things that hold us back from fully following the Lord — wherever He may lead? What do we desire that makes us hesitant even to ask Jesus what He would have us do at this moment? Do we follow Jesus? Or do we use Jesus to achieve our own desires? These are difficult questions that only we can and must answer for ourselves. But as painful as they may be, they are important questions if we want to finish the race well.

The sin which clings so closely

Now, we come to the topic of besetting sins. The ESV translates this as the “sin which clings so closely,” whereas most other translations (I think more correctly) translate this as the sin which so easily “entangles” or “besets” us. We all know about these sins. We all have them. They are the sins that we seem particularly vulnerable to. The sins that are the hardest to leave behind. They are familiar sins we have struggled with so long we may even try to write them off as, “the way I am.” But they have to go, and by the grace of God, they can be defeated.

Running to Jesus

To finish well, we must leave all of these things behind and look to Jesus. The routine of life often dulls our sense of urgency. If things are going well, we often make the mistake of thinking we are doing well spiritually. But when we closely examine ourselves, it is obvious that superficial judgments of this sort are very misleading, either for good or bad. Our external circumstances are a very poor mirror of our spiritual health. When things are going well, our pride congratulates our efforts, and when things are going wrong, our unbelief wants to condemn us and deny God.

The only way to stay faithful to the end is to follow Jesus, who was faithful through fame, shame, betrayal, and the cross. Jesus did not judge his obedience based on how things were working out or how he felt. He walked the road of obedience wherever it led. And it ultimately led him to glory.

This Week

We can help each other this week. We can help each other see what really matters in life and encourage each other to walk the way of Jesus. We can help each other with those things that hold us back and trip us up. In Christ, we can be faithful to God, come what may. We can take heart in knowing that in Jesus, our sacrifice is not for nothing. Our reward is in Jesus, and we will reign with Him forever — if we follow Him now.

Have a great week!