‘Wherefore’, indicating that a duty follows from the example of the heroes of faith in chapter 11. It is not an accidental thing that they give us this example; it is as God has designed it.
‘Let us lay aside’ – it is the analogy of putting off encumbering clothing, heavy outer wear, when you need to do something which requires you to be nimble and agile. Lay aside the old nature in order to trust God and to prove him and have his attestation upon you, so that it is evident to those in your family and around you that you walk with him. In order to do that, you must actively put off the old nature. How soon we forget! How quickly we become spiritually idle and we relax. The old Reformed analogy is the very best in sanctification: we have a new nature and the old nature is now in submission. Residual sin is now the lesser part of us, but it is still there and it is clamouring for attention. If we forget that, the old sins and tendencies rise up again. We have to be watchful. Am I allowing it and I am failing to restrain it; I am not putting off these impulses and that sinful pride and these bad retaliatory reactions to difficulties or insults? Sins are like weeds in the garden. You neglect them and you know how quickly they grow. Lay aside material care when earthly things become too important to you. Some things are a very important. You have got to sort them out for the sake of your family and your children, but other things are not necessary and they are just luxuries and they begin to mean too much and get too much fuss. These things so easily get out of balance, and we have to be prepared to act boldly.
I remember a student and he was a very able fellow, and he began his studies and he joined just about every student association and activity that was going on. All the things he joined were justifiable things and good things. He took one or two extra language tracks; he joined various sporting and other organisations, and it cost him almost all his student period Christian life. Because he was involved in so many things he couldn't watch for his life. He couldn't engage in devotions as he wanted, and he grew unconcerned about witness and church attendance and it swept him away for much of his student life. We have got to be so careful that we do not get ourselves overwhelmed with business with affairs or with recreations, because our spiritual walk must take priority.
The race that is set before us: the route is obvious. It would be madness to go the other way or to choose a route of your own. Are you choosing your own course in the Christian life? ‘This is my chosen career; this is where I am going to live. I will do this I will do that.’ You are trying to choose your own race, but there is of course set out to you. Always ask God to help you be ready to be in his hands. Give your life and your soul to him fully. We don't know how long our race will be, whether it will a short sprint, taken away in relative youth, or whether it will be a long race, requiring a lot of persistence and stamina. Nor do we know the terrain the Lord has assigned for us. It could be a race along the flat, or a cross country race, or even a hill race, something, perhaps, we could never do physically, we may be called to do spiritually. Satan never lets off. Always you have to be ready for his temptations.