There are so many images of the faith in Scripture, but I have always loved that of the race. Here in Hebrews the writer describes our faith like a race. We are to run hard and persevere as we strive after our ultimate goal – Jesus. It’s beautiful idea for several reasons. One is that Jesus is the only goal which is truly worthy of our efforts. Another is that running (at least for me) is not really very fun. It takes effort. It takes training and discipline to be a runner. No one really enjoys the training/discipline/effort, but it builds spiritual muscle into our lives and affords us the righteousness that we are called to express in all that we do. Ultimately, it draws us closer to our goal – Jesus.
I spent this past weekend with a bunch of GBC students and adults working with Faith in Action. They persevered through rain and exhaustion in order to serve the people of our community by building wheelchair ramps. They were incredible! As we shared stories with each other last night, they also each expressed a great love of the LORD. Their training and discipline were evident in the things they shared. These students are “running the race marked out for them.” And on top of that, they are receiving the LORD’s discipline with joy – even making choices to step into areas where they know they will be disciplined. This is a beautiful thing. It’s both encouraging and convicting to me.
Do I step into God’s discipline? Do I recognize the true glory in Jesus who is our ultimate goal? Am I running with my eyes fixed on him?
By the way, the good news is that as Christians, we are going to win this race. It was finished even before it began. Our race was won on the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished.”
– Steve Corn
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