Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
Many of my favorite events whenever the Olympics take place are in the long-distance running category. There’s something so fascinating about seeing the peak performance of the greatest athletes in the world, as they take off towards the finish line, running lap after lap despite any pain, challenges, or doubt, with the goal of reaching victory at the end! There’s a race similar to this described in today’s chapter of God’s Word, but it’s a race that holds far greater significance than the Olympics, with a prize far more valuable than a gold medal.
Take a moment and read Hebrews 12:1-2.
Wow! Don’t those verses get your adrenaline pumping!? The believers receiving Hebrews were no strangers to athletic games and would have quickly understood the imagery of a stadium full of people cheering on contestants as they pursue the finish line. This beginning of the penultimate chapter of Hebrews served as an encouraging and motivating message for the persecuted believers in the audience, and it is equally as relevant and powerful for us today as we run the spiritual race that Christ has set before us during our time here on earth.
So, how do we run the race well?
First, verse 1 tells us to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” Just like running a marathon with a 50-pound backpack, holding on to the weight of sin makes the already difficult task of our spiritual race far harder, if not impossible. The weight of sin burdens us, creates painful consequences, and ultimately hinders us in our pursuit of the Lord. We have to be proactive in casting aside our sin in order to run to Him.
The next thing we have to do is “run with endurance.” Spiritual endurance, just like physical endurance, is not completed overnight. Running with endurance is a lifelong marathon, not a quick sprint to the finish line. Even when the journey feels tedious, or we experience suffering, we know that God has marked our race out for us, and we can trust in Him as we move forward because He will not leave or forsake us. Because Jesus endured the cross, we are able to enter into an eternal relationship with Him that gives us the endurance we need to run our race here on earth.
The final encouragement found in verse 2 reminds us to keep “looking towards Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” The original Greek word used for this phrase really means to turn your eyes away from one thing and fix them on something else. Looking towards Christ means finding time to connect with Him consistently by reading His Word, praying, and connecting in community with other believers. We have to intentionally turn from the distractions that surround us and look towards Jesus, making him the focus of all of our thoughts and actions. When we shift our view from the earthly to the eternal, we can endure anything for the sake of Christ!
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.