Run with Perseverance
One day a running buddy asked me, “Do you want to join my team of 7 guys and run a 77.7-mile relay race around Seneca Lake?”
Sure. Why not? Let’s spend an entire day running with a few hundred teams of people with vans and bikes everywhere. That sounds like fun chaos.
In fact, it was so fun that we did it seven years in a row!
The setting was gorgeous. Seneca Lake is 36 miles long and bordered by vineyards on both sides. The rolling hills provided a tough course but beautiful scenery as we drove from point to point, cheering on our runner.
There were a few crazy teams who signed up to go green. This meant that while we drove from exchange point to exchange point, there were teams that biked the whole thing between their running leg!
The first time we participted, my leg of the relay didn’t start until about 11 miles into the race. I received the handoff from the runner before me and set out for my 4-mile run. I felt like I was cruising along pretty well when a young lady caught up and passed me like I was standing still. I think I looked down to make sure my legs were moving!
Of course, it got even more embarrassing later in the day when I realized she was part of a bike team. Maybe that was my problem… she had the unfair advantage of warming up for 11 miles before we had to run!
Let’s pause for a second. Did you catch the lie of the world, the flesh, and the devil in that last paragraph? I had a problem because the woman passed me. My focus was on how she was running her race, not how I was running mine. That lie—to compare ourselves to others—was awfully tempting to believe that day!
But the Lord does not evaluate you or me based on someone else’s ability and how they are running their race. God has gifted all of us with different abilities. The question is, “Am I focused on Jesus, my Savior, and running the race that He desires me to run?”
Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “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 (perseverance) 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)
The Lord makes it clear that there are weights (encumbrances, burdens, impediments) and sin (literally the most besetting sin) that we need to set aside so that we can run the race the Lord has planned for us.
The Apostle Paul emphasized this when he wrote, “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” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27, ESV).
Paul continues on in First Corinthians chapter 10 to talk about resisting temptation and avoiding idolatry without being legalistic. He says that all of this is for the purpose of bringing glory to God and for the benefit of others, especially encouraging them to salvation through faith in Christ.
And then Paul says, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV)
When I got passed during the race, I looked around to see if there were any witnesses. Why? Not because I thought they would be encouraging, but because I was embarrassed.
I was embarrassed because I was comparing myself to someone else and how they were running their race. But we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, cast off our sins, and run the race He has set for us, setting an example for others so that God gets the glory.
Dear Saints, the Bible tells us there is a great cloud of witnesses ready to cheer us on as we run our race. Let’s lay aside those weights of sin that slow us down and keep our eyes on Jesus. Don’t look around and compare yourself to how someone else is running. Look at Jesus and learn from his example. In that way, we will not grow weary or fainthearted and can look forward with joy to whatever the Lord God has in store for us!
If you haven’t prayed through The Steps to Freedom, we encourage you to do so. It’s designed to help you lay aside those hindrances in your walk with Jesus. You can purchase it here.
And if you’re looking for a more in-depth, personal study, consider the devotional workbook, Journey to Freedom.