22 January
The Ultimate Race
HEBREWS 12:1-3
Sports are a significant part of American culture. It dominates many people's thinking, influences their schedules, draws their money, and fuels their pleasure. In fact, sports have been valued by societies since ancient times. New Testament writers integrated sport metaphors into their letters to make a spiritual point, as the author of Hebrews did in today's passage.
In the first verse, we find the key to running the race of life successfully: endurance. You may be one of those people who started well—you had lots of dreams and ideas about what you wanted to accomplish. Yet perhaps somewhere along the way, you faced tragedy, setback, or failure and as a result, took your eyes off the running path. When your focus strays from your goals and dreams, it is easy to wander from the path and conclude it is impossible to find your way back. Sadly, that is a choice not to end well.
God has a path for each of us. And along that trail are weaknesses, pain, and disappointments. But these things must not defeat us. The difference between people who finish their life race well and others who do not is endurance. Those who end well refuse to give up, in spite of any adversity threatening to blow them off their God-given course.
Endurance doesn't mean sitting back, looking for the easy way out of trials. Instead, it means deciding to put our face to the wind and use the energy granted by the Holy Spirit to persevere through the rough patch. To endure is the only way to finish our race successfully.
URL:http://www.intouch.org/intouch/site.show_page?p_id=76096&p_devotional_date=01%2F22%2F2005
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