Running the Race

I decided this week to Run a 10k.

We have an apple blossom festival coming up at the end of the month near us. I've debated about doing it and then the other day, seeing how fit I was in our honeymoon pictures, decided I need to set a goal.

Better late than never, but I started training yesterday. Usually you should take about 8 weeks to train but I've decided to condense to 4 weeks training because that's what I have.

I remembered a lot of things as I got up yesterday after my first training day (3 miles).
-I'm a lot more motivated when I have a goal to reach for, something to look to. It keeps you focused.
-It gets you through the tough times.
-It reminds you that daily discipline is necessary.
-It reminds you the pain of not stretching daily.
-It reminds us that extra weight makes exercise tough.
-It also reminds you that you need days of rest. All training programs involve days of rest.

Then I began to think about my walk with the King. And I thought about 1 Corinthians 9:24
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it." ESV

And I thought about Hebrews 12:1-2
"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, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." ESV

Our walk with God is a lot like a race, just like Paul says.
-We're more motivated to live out our faith when we have a goal, when we place our gaze on Christ it is easier to persevere.
-It's when we stop to think about how much something hurts or to look around at how everyone else is doing that we stumble.
-We need daily discipline in our faith, we need to take quiet time with the Lord, we need to seek counsel, we need to spend time meditating on the word, we need to spend time in prayer and fasting.
-When we let ourselves drift from these things, we feel extra pain. When we chase meaningless things, and God is passive in his wrath by letting us chase those things, money things bad relationships, anything, we feel pain. We get hurt. We hurt others.
-Extra weight of sin is a burden to us in our walks, in our race towards the prize that is Christ the King. The author of Hebrews reminds us to cast aside our sin, which "clings so closely" isn't that the truth? Old habits that seems to drift so easily back in? The author tells us when we put off this weight, we can run with endurance, and that is every runners' goal, to start and finish strong. That's our goal in our walks as well, to stand firm until the end. Hebrews and Matthew tell us that a sign of a true believer is that they stand firm until the end. They persevere.

"If we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm to the end" Hebrews 3:14 ESV

"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matthew 10:22 NIV

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:12-13 NIV

-And lastly, we must rest. We will run ourselves ragged if we don't take a day to rest, recuperate, and rebuild our strength. Even God took a day to rest from creation. So too should we.

Holly

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