Run with patience

Heb 12:1,2

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.


Run with patience.


A lot of times when we run it's with anything but patience. In races- unless they are long distance marathons and sometimes even then- there is little patience. The need to get to where you're running, to get to the destination in a race is paramount, and race by it's very nature means competing against others racing. In competitions there is a desire to win, to beat others, to IMPATIENTLY rush to get to that end goal.


Run with patience.


What is the race that is set before us?


The Eternal Life Race.


The most important race we'll all ever take part in.


We have to run this race with patience. The race for eternal life IS a competition though and we can't forget it. We aren't competing against each other we are competing against ourselves and our carnal nature. We are racing for our lives, for our eternal lives and there are those who do not want to see us win this race. We can't let ourselves forget that there are many obstacles thrown onto the path of our race and the enemy that doesn't want us to win this race will stop at nothing to get us to drop out, to falter, to fail, to throw in the towel and just stop racing. We are all born into the race but how you run that race is up to you. You can choose to run it in ways that will never get you to the finish line. Not all will have eternal life it's plain and simple, not all will make it to the end to get the prize. Can you imagine being in a race and having someone constantly trying to get you to give up? They try blatantly, they try subtly, they never give up trying to get you to give up, never. Their sole goal in life is to stop you from winning the prize of eternal life. Is it any wonder we HAVE to run this race with patience? How easy it would be to give up quickly if you had no patience.


Webster--
Patience
PATIENCE, n. pa'shens. [L. patientia, from patior, to suffer.]

1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from christian submission to the divine will.
2. A calm temper which bears evils without murmuring or discontent.
3. The act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent.
4. Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion.
5. The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.

*******
Dictionary.com--
–noun
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.
*******


Those definitions of patience say it all.

Patience-

Suffering of --

Pain
Toil
Calamity
Provocation
Evil

Suffering it all calmly with an unruffled temper.
Enduring without murmuring or fretfulness.
Calm temper.
Bearing evil without discontent.
Waiting long without discontent.
Persevering.
Bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.

Being patient.
Bearing annoyance, misfortune WITHOUT complaint!
Being confronted with delay and not being annoyed!


What is one of the problems of mankind you hear about a lot today? Stress. Stress is being annoyed at all of the above. Stress is all about NOT having patience.


The Bible tells us to run with patience. Basically God is telling us we need to live patiently as we seek eternal life in Jesus Christ our Savior.


We will endure much as we seek eternal life and through it all we have to have patience. Where are we to get this patience that seems almost impossible to have?


' Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.'


Jesus. He is the author and the finisher of our faith.
Like Him, for the joy set before us we have to endure our race and all the horrible things that we will face.


Jesus faced DEATH without any fight!


I have a whole new respect for the saying- led like a lamb to the slaughter. Last night I was watching an old Survivor tv show this one was from South Africa and on the show the contestants were very hungry- they had fruit and fish, but they wanted more. Two of the contestants were walking along the beach and there was a TAME pelican. They walked up to the tame pelican and the man knelt down and put his hand on the pelican's head and pushed it gently to the ground and raised his machete. That POOR tame pelican didn't struggle at all, that tame pelican didn't understand it was about to die, that poor pelican lay there and died. My heart broke for the innocent, unsuspecting, tame, friendly pelican and I cried and cried and still now it breaks my heart as I remember the way it died. Jesus knowingly laid down his life. Jesus KNEW what was coming. Unlike a lamb, unlike that pelican whose trusting nature let them die without any struggle, Jesus knew and fully comprehended that he was going to suffer and he was innocent, undeserving of every bit of that pain. He chose to suffer for us with that full awareness. He laid down His life for us, He didn't struggle as they nailed Him to the cross. They didn't have to force Him to lay down and hold Him there as He fought to be freed. Trusting in God that ALL things would work out for good, He allowed Himself to suffer.


Jesus- truly is the AUTHOR of our faith.
Jesus- truly is the FINISHER of our faith.


We have to live patiently, with faith in our Savior. Jesus spent three years- His ministry- trying to teach us this, trying to teach us patience, faith. Think about it, read about it, there is no mistaking it really. Is there any wonder we are to run the race for eternal life with patience? Jesus is our example, Jesus was very, very patient.


By His grace we will learn to run the race with patience.
As we live, day by day immersed in this spiritual warfare we call life, may we always keep our eye on the prize set before us- eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.


In His love.


Amen.