Do you remember this scene from the movie, Forrest Gump? 1 Walking home with his friend Jenny, Forrest is bullied by boys throwing rocks at him. At Jenny’s urging, —“Run, Forrest! Run!”—he quickens his pace as fast as his leg braces will allow. As he picks up speed, his orthotics miraculously fly off and Forrest freely outruns his antagonists. “From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running!” he recalled.
In last week’s post, we observed “each stride—each calendar page—counts” as we “run with endurance the race that is set before us.”2 As such, the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to “lay aside every weight that clings so closely”3 —to burst free of every obstacle. So what do our spiritual constraints look like? What hindrances slow us down, and what burdens wear us out? Let’s expose a few and, to each, speak truth that sets us free.4
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”5 So lay aside the weight of forgiven guilt.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm . . . and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”6 Hence throw off the unbearable weight of legalism, and stand guard against its return.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”7 Then leave behind the penalty of sin and any fear thereof.
“I [Jesus] chose you out of the world.”8 So, strip off worldliness—“the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life,”9 “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches.”10
“[Jesus] shared in [our] humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”11 In this assurance, cast off the fear of death and run in the promise of life.
God has assigned to each of us a measure of faith, and even with “faith like a grain of mustard seed,” 12 nothing is impossible. Rid yourself of the fear of inadequate faith; act in “the measure of faith that God has assigned to [you].” 13
We could go on to speak of other weights—the weights of resentment, accusatory judgment, self-pity, control, or assuming spiritual burdens through natural strength. In every case, our call is the same: to embrace truth that sets us free, and to run with endurance the race that is set before us.14
Yes, Father, we desire to run free from all that would trip us up or hold us back. Send Your Spirit to remind us of Your Word, embolden us in truth, and inspire us to endure for the joy set before us. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 Zemeckis, Robert, director. Forrest Gump. 1994; Paramount Pictures, 1994. 2hr, 22 min.
2,3 Hebrews 12:1
4 John 8:32
5 1 John 1:9
6 Galatians 5:1
7 Romans 8:1
8 John 17:19
9 1 John 2:16
10 Matthew 13:22
11 Hebrews 2:14-16
12 Matthew 17:20
13 Romans 12:3
14 Hebrews 12:1
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Paul Nordman—Author 