No More Dragging Your Feet

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy;

without holiness no one will see the Lord.

See to it that no one misses the grace of God

and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Hebrews 12:14-15

And so, with our eyes fixed on Jesus we have entered that race marked out for us (12:1-2). Make every effort is not lost on me. To race is to do just that—to expend all the energy you have till you reach the finish line. The Greek underscores your effort with godly fear—with the reverence of a minister or deacon (Strongs).  

The message is the same today to the church as it was then: live in peace with all men and be holy.

The Greek word for peace, eirene, has the sense of getting along as one. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), which takes root by Jesus’ life in us. The more time we spend with Him, the more natural it becomes to live as one in Christ—even in turmoil, especially in turmoil. Life was not easy then. Life may not be easy now.

So be holy! Without holiness no one will see the Lord—fellow believer or onlooker.  Holiness is the bedrock of living in peace with all men. Holiness is of the heart. Holiness is a “desire for God”, a “walking with God”, a “consciousness of the presence of God continually: ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:28).*

The challenge of the underlying effort of the race culminates in its urgency: see to it that no one misses the grace of God! That grace of God (charis)—the graciousness, the joy showered on us by the Father—live it out for all to see.  

After all, we are in this race together:

It’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet!

Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall,

so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle.

Help each other out. And run for it! (12:12-13, MSG).

Nancy P

All Scripture quotations are from the NIV 1973, 1978, 1984, unless otherwise noted.

*Chuck Smith, blueletterbible.org