ON THE VANGUARD

NOT GIVING UP
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Hebrews 12:1

Can you believe we are already one month into the new year? January will end today and we will be one-twelfth of the way through 2013. But what about all those resolutions we made back when the year began? Have we been keeping them? I wish I could say I have been keeping mine but that would be false. In my attempt to train for a marathon I injured my back. In my goal to read more I have not even picked up a book yet this year. And in my desire to share Christ with at least one person each month, I have kept my mouth silent. It almost makes me wonder what I have been doing. It also makes me think about whether I should try still, or just give up.
As I was making coffee this morning, and seeing my intended reading selection sitting on the table with perhaps a slight film of dust atop it, I began to think about the word persevere. Honestly, the first verse that came to mind was Hebrews 12:1. First it came to mind because just like He, I too was brewing coffee (get it…He-brews…ok, bad joke). Seriously, though, this verse came to mind because of the part where we read, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” While I may be a tad disappointed that I have not read a book yet this year or exercised daily, there is something bigger at hand. I have to ask myself how I am doing this year in relation to the race He has marked out for me. All my plans mean nothing compared to the race He is urging me to run.
So if I have thus far failed to fulfill my resolutions for the year, is it too late? No, it is never too late to pick ourselves up off the ground and move on. How does that old proverb go? If you get knocked down, be sure to get back up. As long as we keep getting up we are saying no to staying down and being labeled a failure. But also, as long as we keep getting back up, we are throwing off the sin that works to entangle us. How can we run with perseverance in this race when we are weighted down with sin?
Do you remember when we reviewed James 1? We read in verses 2-4 about perseverance as James said, “let perseverance…”. Perseverance is the Greek word HUPOMONE. It is also the same word Paul used when talking about patience as one of the fruits in Galatians 5. It means steadfastness, endurance, and deliberate purpose. The year may be one month under our belts right now, but that does not mean it is the end. Instead it means simply that it is not too late to start and endure from this point forward. Despite what is going on in our worlds and what resolutions have not yet been met, let us persevere as we go forward.