Run The Race

November 5

Ezekiel 14-16

Psalm 119:105-112

Proverbs 26:20-22

Hebrews 12:1-17

Run The Race

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter or our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2 LSB

I love the imagery of the Christian life being a metaphorical race.  “Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” is a reminder of all the people in our lives who are cheering us on.  I am picturing streets lined with those who have gone before me and who are currently in my life who want me to do well.  They are yelling and shouting words of encouragement to keep going, to persevere, to live a life worthy of the calling I have been given.  The Body of Christ is a great source of help and hope as we run the race marked out for us.  We are reminded to lay aside all of the worry and fear that is weighing us down and to give Jesus all the “baggage” we have been carrying.  We also need to get rid of the sin that so easily entangles us so that we can run with the freedom that comes from righteousness.  I am not a runner and it is unlikely that I will ever run a race, but I do know that in a race you can’t run at full capacity for very long.  You have to pace yourself.  In the Christian life, we need to remember that we are in a marathon, not a sprint.  We have to run with endurance recognizing that there will be highs and lows and we have to just keep going.  The way we do that is by keeping our eyes focused on Jesus.  If we look at the world around us, we cannot keep our balance.  We will get distracted and get off track.  Like a sailor on a stormy sea needs to keep his focus on the lighthouse to stay on course and avoid danger, Christians need to keep their focus on Jesus as our source of light in the darkness. 

We also need to remember that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.  The Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and He develops our faith in Him so that we are able to run the race.  And then He begins the process of perfecting our faith.  It’s a long process.  It doesn’t happen overnight.  He leads and guides us as we walk through different situations increasing our faith as we go.  He allows circumstances to come into our lives that stretch us and force us to trust Him more and more.  Like a muscle, faith grows with exercise.  If you don’t ever have to exercise your faith, you won’t develop it. Faith rarely grows when times are easy.  And it is important to recognize that you can’t usually see when a muscle is growing, but when you need it, it will be available and ready to use.  God knows how to develop our faith and He does it gently and gradually.  All we have to do is keep our eyes on Him and keep doing what He tells us to do.