March 21st, 2023
“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 set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1
This beautiful exhortation is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews issues a call to endure, using the analogy of running a race. While some people say that being a runner can cause damage if done in excess, that’s actually been proven untrue unless there’s some part of your body that isn’t functioning correctly. If every muscle, tendon, and ligament is aligned correctly and properly strengthened, running is actually the most natural thing we can do. It’s the highest form of human exercise that requires no equipment because we were made to run.
I love to run for exercise, but I’m not an endurance runner, as much as I wish I was. Sprinting and endurance running are different, and you can see the physical differences in athletes trained for one or the other. Sprinting requires an abundance of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are explosive, but tire out quickly. Sprinters will look strong, with bulkier, defined muscles. Endurance running, on the other hand, requires more slow-twitch muscle fibers, which aren’t as powerful but can work for longer periods of time. Endurance runners will look thin and lean, with less defined muscles. Naturally our bodies tend toward one of the two.
There’s nothing wrong with being a sprinter in a the natural. I wasn’t made to be an endurance runner and as much as I trained, I’d always be at a disadvantage in longer runs to those whose bodies are naturally gifted in that. In the spiritual, however, we’re all made to be distance runners. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to run our race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1). Our lives aren’t meant to be sprints and if we spiritually train only for the short distance we see in front of us, we’ll end up in a cycle of exertion and exhaustion. Many Christians live off of emotional highs or circumstantial victories that allow them to do spiritual sprints, but then they’re exhausted. If you have seasons of what feel like spiritual victories, followed by low seasons that feel difficult to climb out of, it’s likely that your highs are like sprints, fueled by emotion and adrenaline. That won’t be sustainable in the long run! Distance running require discipline, training, and time. No one gets up one morning and decides to run a marathon!
If we only go to church once a week and neglect time with God in between, this would be like going for one run a week. It might feel good, but you won’t be ready for a longer run. In God’s kingdom, we all have to train for endurance— to run in whatever He’s called us to do without growing weary. Practically, this spiritual training has a few different components. We have to spend time in God’s word every day, to fuel our spirits. We have to spend time in prayer, so we learn to recognize the voice of our Father. We need solid Biblical teaching and preaching to build our faith and grounding in truth. We must be part of the Church, not just on Sundays, but by being connected with God’s people as part of the body.
Exercise isn’t comfortable. In the same way, spiritual discipline may make us feel uncomfortable, at times. Our flesh may not want to read our Bible or pray every day, but the result will be strength. Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen, just like you don’t wake up one day and realize you’re a marathon runner!
Just a few verses after the one above, the writer of Hebrews spends some time on the importance of discipline. Hebrews 12:7-8 and 11 says,
“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons…For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
God only disciplines His children, so we have to accept this aspect of our spiritual training, even though it’s not always comfortable! The writer goes on in Hebrews 12:12-13 saying,
“Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”
As I said before, we can only run if nothing is out of joint. If you have a broken toe, a sore knee, or a sprained ankle, it doesn’t matter how well all of the other parts function—You can’t run. We have to allow God to heal anything that is out of joint, so we can run our race with endurance!
Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
“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. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
These scriptures paint such a clear picture of the importance of spiritual discipline so we can run. However, we have to remember that this isn’t a religious burden. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus ran His race with endurance only because He saw the joy that was set before Him. This week, I want to encourage you, as the Scripture does, to run your race with endurance. We were created to run with Him, and it is absolutely exhilarating. As you train, it might require spending a little more time in His word, to strengthen your heart. It might mean laying aside a weight that’s not even a sin, to focus your heart on Him. It might look like asking God to heal a wound that’s put your feet out of joint. However, God is a good Father and He is ready and waiting to help us run. He will teach us, discipline us, heal us, and strengthen us for our good and His glory. In the` spiritual, we are all endurance runners, and it’s time to train like it!
This beautiful exhortation is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews issues a call to endure, using the analogy of running a race. While some people say that being a runner can cause damage if done in excess, that’s actually been proven untrue unless there’s some part of your body that isn’t functioning correctly. If every muscle, tendon, and ligament is aligned correctly and properly strengthened, running is actually the most natural thing we can do. It’s the highest form of human exercise that requires no equipment because we were made to run.
I love to run for exercise, but I’m not an endurance runner, as much as I wish I was. Sprinting and endurance running are different, and you can see the physical differences in athletes trained for one or the other. Sprinting requires an abundance of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are explosive, but tire out quickly. Sprinters will look strong, with bulkier, defined muscles. Endurance running, on the other hand, requires more slow-twitch muscle fibers, which aren’t as powerful but can work for longer periods of time. Endurance runners will look thin and lean, with less defined muscles. Naturally our bodies tend toward one of the two.
There’s nothing wrong with being a sprinter in a the natural. I wasn’t made to be an endurance runner and as much as I trained, I’d always be at a disadvantage in longer runs to those whose bodies are naturally gifted in that. In the spiritual, however, we’re all made to be distance runners. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to run our race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1). Our lives aren’t meant to be sprints and if we spiritually train only for the short distance we see in front of us, we’ll end up in a cycle of exertion and exhaustion. Many Christians live off of emotional highs or circumstantial victories that allow them to do spiritual sprints, but then they’re exhausted. If you have seasons of what feel like spiritual victories, followed by low seasons that feel difficult to climb out of, it’s likely that your highs are like sprints, fueled by emotion and adrenaline. That won’t be sustainable in the long run! Distance running require discipline, training, and time. No one gets up one morning and decides to run a marathon!
If we only go to church once a week and neglect time with God in between, this would be like going for one run a week. It might feel good, but you won’t be ready for a longer run. In God’s kingdom, we all have to train for endurance— to run in whatever He’s called us to do without growing weary. Practically, this spiritual training has a few different components. We have to spend time in God’s word every day, to fuel our spirits. We have to spend time in prayer, so we learn to recognize the voice of our Father. We need solid Biblical teaching and preaching to build our faith and grounding in truth. We must be part of the Church, not just on Sundays, but by being connected with God’s people as part of the body.
Exercise isn’t comfortable. In the same way, spiritual discipline may make us feel uncomfortable, at times. Our flesh may not want to read our Bible or pray every day, but the result will be strength. Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen, just like you don’t wake up one day and realize you’re a marathon runner!
Just a few verses after the one above, the writer of Hebrews spends some time on the importance of discipline. Hebrews 12:7-8 and 11 says,
“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons…For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
God only disciplines His children, so we have to accept this aspect of our spiritual training, even though it’s not always comfortable! The writer goes on in Hebrews 12:12-13 saying,
“Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”
As I said before, we can only run if nothing is out of joint. If you have a broken toe, a sore knee, or a sprained ankle, it doesn’t matter how well all of the other parts function—You can’t run. We have to allow God to heal anything that is out of joint, so we can run our race with endurance!
Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
“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. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
These scriptures paint such a clear picture of the importance of spiritual discipline so we can run. However, we have to remember that this isn’t a religious burden. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus ran His race with endurance only because He saw the joy that was set before Him. This week, I want to encourage you, as the Scripture does, to run your race with endurance. We were created to run with Him, and it is absolutely exhilarating. As you train, it might require spending a little more time in His word, to strengthen your heart. It might mean laying aside a weight that’s not even a sin, to focus your heart on Him. It might look like asking God to heal a wound that’s put your feet out of joint. However, God is a good Father and He is ready and waiting to help us run. He will teach us, discipline us, heal us, and strengthen us for our good and His glory. In the` spiritual, we are all endurance runners, and it’s time to train like it!
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