For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:3
I went out for a run the other day and struggled through most of it. Somewhere in the last half mile, I decided it might be wise to walk the remainder of the way home. Shortly after I started walking, I met a young woman running in the opposite direction. As we met, she cheerfully encouraged me to start running again. As tempting as it was, I declined as my choice was not a matter of giving up but rather a bit of prudence for a few reasons: I have asthma and had forgotten to use my inhaler before running; my body is recovering from injury, and I’ve been pushing myself to meet various demands and have not been getting the rest that my body needs. In better circumstances, the encouragement would have yielded the desired effect of the other runner. However, under these conditions, I had to allow reason to overrule desire. As we endure in our walk of faith, we need be intentional as well. A few key factors are our focus, allowing the Holy Spirit direct us, and avoiding temptation.
Most runners start out with a goal to run either a certain amount of time or a predetermined distance. When we accept Christ as our Savior and choose to serve our God, our primary goal shifts from the distractions of this world to eternity and abiding with the Lord. No matter how we travel or at what pace we move, we always keep moving towards the goal and keep our eyes fixed on it…everything else is secondary. As Hebrews 12:3 indicates, our other focus is Christ. He is our perfect model of how to endure in our speech, actions and attitudes. Further, it is Christ who sustains us. Therefore, we not only follow His example of gracious and patient endurance, but we also look to Him for the strength. Finally, we must remember that Christ is not only our example and our source of strength, but He is also the only way to God. It is only through Him that we can achieve our goal of abiding with God for eternity.
In order for me to have a successful run, I have to listen to music and listen to my body. One motivates me while the other provides reasonableness. As we run the race of faith, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit. He is our comforter and our encourager. When we get off track, He convicts us to get us back on the proper course. He also directs our pace. At times we work hard for the kingdom; at other times, we pull back to maintain and recharge our souls; and sometimes, we mix the two. Again Christ is our example. While He regularly taught and healed, there were times He did not. No matter what His level of activity, He regularly withdrew to spend time with His Father in Heaven and commune with the Holy Spirit. The process for us is circular. The more time we spend in prayer and scripture to renew our souls, the more we are aware of and in tune with the Holy Spirit. The more we are in step with the Holy Spirit, the more we are inclined to spend time properly maintaining our souls. It is through the trials of life that we learn to listen to His direction intently.
Finally, I Corinthians 10:13 tells us that: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” For various reasons, we are constantly bombarded with temptations that will slow us down, get us off course or completely derail us spiritually. Therefore it is imperative that we resist enticements as they come our way. This passage reminds us that the temptations that we face are common to all men…we have not been singled out for some unusual form of testing. More importantly, our confidence is that God will not permit us to be tempted beyond what we are able to withstand and that He will also provide the way of escape. Opting to employ the way of escape is our choice. Again, when we follow Christ’s example and when we listen to the Holy Spirit, we will choose wisely, grow in grace and draw closer to our Lord.
The other day, I completed my running goals for both distance and time exercising. I even took my dog for a short walk later that evening. The fact that I slowed the pace was not a failure, but a wise choice as I am visiting with my mother-in-law and doing some work around her home. Had I not listened to my body, I may have completed my running goals faster, but I would have also weakened my body to complete my other goals to serve my family. Likewise, if we are to faithfully endure this life, we must: keep our focus on the life to come; look to Christ as our example, our source of strength and our way to success; listen to the Holy Spirit and turn for the temptations that seek to impede our progress. As we run, we are not running from eternal punishment, but rather like Christ, running for the joy set before us. As you run the race, graciously accept the life that you have been given with all of the joys and hurdles and look to God for the strength to endure that you too might win the prize of eternal life.
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life.
Will