Running the Race

Follower of Christ, keep running! God, and His people, past and present, spur you on to stay with the Lord and never give up.

Running the Race

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

(Hebrews 12:1)

How is your New Year going so far? Are you off to a good start? I pray that you are and that your walk with the Lord is strong and vibrant. If not, then my prayer is that God would use me today to encourage and lift you up so you are strengthened in the faith.

Now for a personal update: I had a blast a couple weeks back when I ran my third Dopey Race: 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon at Disney World. I got to run with members of my family and church family and had a blast. It was especially a blessing to be able to run with my oldest son, Bryant. He did a great job. He hit the proverbial wall at mile 18 but then pushed through, caught up with me quickly, and finished strongly. Here is a picture of Bryant and me running the Dopey Race:

There are many spiritual lessons to be gleaned from running. All believers in Jesus are in a spiritual race, and the Bible instructs us to run our race with perseverance. Hebrews 12:1, our biblical text for today's devotion, is instructive and insightful in helping us in our race. For motivation, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we are surrounded by many witnesses. I believe what he is telling us is that many have gone before us, were faithful to God, and their legacies should motivate us. They, though not present on the earth now, are surrounding us with their past faithfulness. I do not think believers in heaven are looking down on us; they are way too occupied praising the Lord! Plus, if they could watch us, it would bring pain to them to see us suffer or make mistakes, and we know there is no pain or crying in heaven. New Testament scholar, Dr. Tommy Lea, makes these comments on Hebrews 12:1:

"Believers find encouragement in being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses as the saints mentioned in Hebrews 11. Their triumph gives evidence of the possibilities of a life of faith. The figure of a cloud suggests a massive host of these exemplary servants. We receive much encouragement from knowing that others have faced obstacles in the Christian life and have gloriously triumphed." ( Lea, T. D. (1999). Hebrews, James (Vol. 10, p. 218). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

Follower of Christ, keep running! God, and His people, past and present, spur you on to stay with the Lord and never give up. I have seen people who were once on fire for the Lord later walk away and have little to do with Him or the Church. Though they appear happy on the outside, there is an emptiness and lack of peace, especially the deep peace that only Jesus can provide.

I am praying for you. If your race is currently hard, lean into the Lord, take the next step, pray, reach out to a fellow believer, and keep going!

Partner with us in spreading the Gospel!

Will you help fuel our efforts to spread the Gospel
and equip and empower other Christians to do the same?

Count me in! ▶

Podcast of the Week

Reflections

Most people paused at the end of 2022 to reflect on where they had been through the year, but have you paused to reflect on your trajectory in 2023? Where are you going? Is it where God has called you to go?

Listen on your preferred platform: