“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.“
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
By the time I got home from Kohl’s with my new beautiful necklace, it mysteriously became a tangled mess. I was frustrated because I had no time to untangle it before going out of town. I stood there hopeless. Suddenly, I remembered another necklace that just might compliment the outfit, but to my demise found that it had become a tangled mess intertwined with other forgotten necklaces. Would you agree that tangled necklaces are frustrating ,especially when they are filled with knots? God began to impress on my heart an interesting interlude to this situation. He reminded me of my tangled past. My past, tangled with fear, shame, and guilt. Tangled with sinful choices that weighed me down and robbed me from the joy that still resided somewhere in my heart.
God showed me that tangled necklaces and sin have a few noticeable similarities.
For example:
*Both can quietly happen without even realizing it until it’s too late.
*Both can get tangled up with others causing frustration, division, and brokenness.
*Sometimes we set sin aside and leave it because it is too tedious to work out the knots. It’s easier not to look at it. After all, it won’t be missed if we ignore it. Just like a tangled necklace.
*Both will cause us to grow weary and lose heart.
*Both need to be untangled.
The beautiful thing about untangling sin is that we don’t have to do it alone. Jesus went before us and by fixing our eyes on him, the untangling begins to happen. The weight of shame and guilt are lifted. Like a tangled necklace, the knots start to loosen up, the beauty starts to shine through and suddenly there is hope.
Now we are free to run the race that we have been called to run. We have a testimony for all to witness, including the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews. This world is starving for our personal testimonies that will display hope in Christ.The race we are called to run will burst forth when we are not hindered or halted by lingering in sin.
As Christ followers we can be thankful that Jesus has already untangled our sins for us! He has finished the hardest part of fixing the sin problem. Jesus endured opposition from sinners SO THAT we will not grow weary and lose heart! Take a minute and let this truth sink in!
The joy that is set before Christ is the same joy that comes from throwing off anything and everything that hinders us. The shame is replaced with joy which radiates from the bright morning star, Jesus. The guilt, fear, dread is crushed with the light of Christ’s eyes. We are finally free to share this joy with others. People will notice the joy shining from our hearts that displays the tender love of Christ.
May we be bold enough to fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
He is the One seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
He is the One who wants a personal relationship with you and with me.
He is the One who untangles our necklaces .
Radiant with Joy,
Kelly
“Radiant with Joy” 