Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
I recently watched a video that was designed to show people the effects of poverty. It had a large group of young people standing on an athletic field and the person who made it to the finish line first would win one hundred dollars. But, based on their answers to some predetermined questions, some of the young people would get an advantage. Some of the questions asked were similar to these “if your parents are still married, take a couple of steps forward”, if you never had to help your parents pay a bill, take a couple of steps forward”, “if the means by which you will be attending college do not include an athletic scholarship take a couple of steps forward”. By the time they finished asking questions, there were some young people who were at least half way down the field and there were some…who never got off the starting line.
Based on my own childhood, if I had been standing on that starting line, I would have been allowed to take only one step. And, no matter how hard I (or the other young people still standing on or near that starting line) had tried, apart from a miracle from God (which He still performs by the way 🙂 we would never have been able to win that race.
The awesome thing is that we are in a similar race, and it too has its advantages. But, the advantages in this one are not based on affluence, they are not based on the kind of parents we had, they are not based on how much money we have. Our advantages are whether we know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, how closely we follow Him, how well we do sharing Him with others and the love that we show to those around us.
The question is…are you a sprinter or Are You a Marathon Runner?
The really good news about this marathon that we are running, is that the victory has already been won (thanks to the blood of Christ) and we (those who call Jesus Christ Lord) are the victors and the prize of heaven is ours.
Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to die, so that we could be reconciled to Him. He then asks that we should strive to be like Jesus. “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” – 1 John 2:6, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” – John 15:12, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” – Ephesians 4:32, do you notice how all of these verses are telling us to behave as Christ? Not that we can or (this side of heaven) ever will be perfect. But we are to strive to love, honor, glorify and forgive as Jesus did.
We are to run this marathon as though God Himself was standing at the finish line waiting to crown us with the victors crown, like the one in Roman times that the victors wore….because He is! He is cheering you on and is waiting with an everlasting crown (Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict raining. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:25). And just like in the parable outlined in Matthew 25, He waits to say “well done good and faithful servant!” Oh, how I long to hear those words.
I pray that today, you would be a marathon runner and that you would be rested and ready to run with endurance. I pray that you can envision our Glorious Heavenly Father cheering you on and that your adoration for Him causes you to navigate the hurdles and turns and be strong, glorifying and loving Him with every fiber of your being and longing to hear Him say “well done good and faithful servant!”.
If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and have never understood how to have a personal relationship with Him, please go to our Life preserver page and pray the prayer that is outlined there. When you have done that, please contact me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know so that I can be praying for you and can help you grow in your knowledge and relationship with our Precious Savior.
Luv Ya!
