Monday, May 18, 2026

           Racing is a popular sport.  When we hear the word racing, we think of cars, athletes, horses, cycling, marathons, sprints and sailing boats.  Racing is also an illustration of the Christian life and walk.  Paul wrote about “finishing the race” of faith that had been entrusted to Him or to us.  Hebrews 12:1 says, “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a).  That one passage in Hebrews has some important lessons for how we live out our faith today. 
            First, the Bible says, “us” as in “let us run.”  The Christian life is designed to be lived out in community with other believers.  We are not really called to live as solo followers of Jesus.  Simply put, we need other believers—brothers and sisters in Christ who can stand with us and beside us in times of celebration and sorrow.  And even stand beside us in those times where we are just pushing through the ordinary challenges of life.  We can pray for each other and even disciple each other.  The Christian life can be challenging to live even with a community of believers standing with us and cheering us on.  It can be doubly hard if we are trying to navigate our way through life alone.
            Second, the Bible uses the word “run.”  We are moving as followers of Jesus.  Indeed, to be a follower of Jesus suggests movement.  We are walking with and behind Him.  We often sing the hymn “Footsteps of Jesus.”  To be a Christian today means we are in consistent movement for the gospel and to serve the Lord wherever He might direct us to go.  We have not been saved by Christ and saved from sin simply to sit down and stay stationary.  We have been saved to serve the Lord.  And if we serve the Lord well, we will be moving.  We will run with great joy and excitement for His glory.    
            Third, we run with perseverance.  Another word for perseverance can be endurance.  To persevere means we do not give up at the first sign of trouble or failure.  We make a commitment to run for the long haul.  The Christian life is more precisely described as a marathon as opposed to a sprint.  We are to run for distance more than speed.  To run with perseverance means we have to develop some thick skin—some armor that protects us from the enemy and His attacks and ways.  The enemy does not play fairly.  Satan is a liar, a thief, a murderer and a destroyer.  We have to know that he will do any number of things to frustrate us in our daily race.  But God has graciously given us the armor of God to wear as we run the race of a follower of Jesus.  The armor is named for us in Ephesians 6:13-18.
            Fourth, we are to run the race marked out for us.  We are not in a competition with other believers or other churches.  God has a distinct and determined race that He wants us to run for His glory.  The expression “stay in your lane” is appropriate in this context.  We do not all run the same race.  For example, a single mom committed to Christ might be running a very different race than an empty-nest couple with no children at home.  A recent retiree might be facing a very different race than a college freshman is called by God to run. God, in His providence and wisdom, has marked out a race for us to run as we glorify Him with the life and breath entrusted to us.  Hebrews 12:2 tells us to set or fix “our eyes on Jesus—the author and perfecter of our faith.”  Seeing Jesus each day inspires us to run, with passion and urgency, the race that He has marked out for us. We run with the confidence that one day we will wake up in His arms and spend forever with Him.  Like the first disciples, we drop our nets and follow Him.    
            Hebrews 11 is often called “the hall of faith.”  That title is a play on words with the many halls of fame that we have represented around us for different sports or vocations. Hebrews 11 contains the names of many inspirational biblical figures who all shared at least one important trait—they possessed great faith in God to sustain them and to provide for them in whatever circumstances they found themselves.  By faith, we look to the Lord to provide the grace we need to run any race, to serve any place and to become anything He calls us to be.  Run well today with faith in the author of your race—the very One who has laid out the course and who accompanies you on each step you take.  Have a great Monday!