Pastor’s Pulpit
By Pastor Tom Davidson
“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. The words used here mean to lay aside anything, any obstacle, and any obstruction that would hinder your running. Take it off! Strip down. Get rid of any sinful thought, action, habit, or relationship. Sin will trip you up and cause you to fall. Ancient track competition like today demanded intense practice. Olympic athletes had to swear that they had undergone ten months of rigorous training before competing. The last month had to be under the stern eye of an Olympic instructor. They disciplined themselves to remove unwanted body weight and when they competed they ran almost naked. We also need to remove anything in our lives that hinders our running. Since the writer uses a definite article “the sin” he seems to be referring to the specific sin(s) each of us, individually is most likely to commit. What is the sin that so easily entangles you or me? Is it that we’re jealous of what someone else has? Is it envy? It is a critical spirit? Is it hatred? Is it lust? Pride? Worry? Discouragement? Fear? Misplaced priorities? Whatever sin it is, it must be stripped off and left behind! The first thing we must do is to lay aside every hindrance.
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