Moving in the Direction of God
Hebrews 12:1 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.
The Christian experience is often referred to as a "walk." The Apostle Paul often referred to the experience in sports related terms, or in a competitive nature. The general idea is that there needs to be a progression in the life of one who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There now needs to be direction, where previously there was none. Remember how God found you:
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40: 1-2
In the world we were standing on an unsettled life. God reached down into the mire and pulled us back up. Let us also never forget where God found us:
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1: 12-14
God found us in the middle of darkness. The world is still living in that darkness and the things of God are thus foolishness to them. But God transferred us into the kingdom of light. Once we are there it is all about direction and progression. Where are we going and what progress are we making? Progress toward what? Becoming more Christ-like.
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2Corinthians 3: 18
