Advent Devotional - December 24, 2016

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus / Born to set Thy people free / From our fears and sins release us / Let us find our rest in Thee”

-Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

The author of Hebrews encourages all Christians to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (12:1). The Christian life in this fallen world is one of continuous exertion, as we fight against sin, as we fight against our fears, and as we fight against our very fallen nature.

Those who have run a marathon are familiar with the experience of “hitting the wall,” when muscles stop working due to a depletion of glycogen stores. Now imagine hitting the wall with a fifty-pound weight on our back and chains wrapped around our legs. Does trying to live in this world as a Christian feel like this at times?

The author of Hebrews urges us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, as we each run the race that is marked out for us (12:2). For the Christian, there is a finish line somewhere in the distance, and may this promised eternal rest be a great encouragement to us all! But Jesus isn’t just waiting for us at the finish line. He has already finished His race far ahead of us, and now He has come back to help the stragglers.

One of the many paradoxes of the Christian life is that we can experience rest, even as we run the race. Yes, we must still fight and struggle and run with great endurance, and we are not promised a life of comfort or ease. But our souls can rest secure because Jesus has already secured salvation for all who would trust in Him, releasing us from the weight of our sin and our worldly fears. Surely, this is rest for our souls in this season of Advent!