Wednesday's Word: Looking Away To Jesus

 

"Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
who have borne testimony to the Truth, let us strip off and throw aside
every encumbrance, and that sin, which so readily clings to and entangles
us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence
that appointed course of the race that is set before us.

 Olympic Gold Medal winner Eric Liddell (1902-1945)  was known as "The Flying Scotsman".
 The 1981 movie "Chariots of Fire" told the story of his training for the 1924 Paris Olympics and 

 the public controversy he faced as a devout Christian who refused to train or compete on Sunday, 

 which he regarded as the Sabbath.  Liddell later gave up professional sports to return to 

 missionary work in China where he had been born to Scottish missionary parents. 
  Unfortunately, he died in a Japanese interment camp there during World War II.

 

Looking away from all that will distract to Jesus, Who is the Leader and
the Source of our faith, giving the first incentive for our belief, and is also
the Finisher, bringing it to maturity and perfection.  He, for the joy of obtaining 
the prize that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring
the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and
bitter hostility against Himself, reckon up and consider it all, in comparison 
with your trials, so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, 
 losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money,
including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions
and be satisfied with your present circumstances and with what
you have; for God Himself has said, "I will not in any way fail
you, nor give you up nor leave you without support. 
I will not in any degree leave you helpless or forsake 
 nor let you down, nor relax My hold on you. Assuredly not!

Jesus Christ the Messiah is always the same, yesterday,
today, and forever, to the ages."

(Hebrews 12:1-3, Hebrews 13: 5,8)