IN HEBREWS 12:1, the author compares our life to a race. We are not in a sprint but rather a marathon. This verse talks about the weights and sin we need to lay aside. But to run our race effectively, we need to keep some things. Here are five of them.
ONE: KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS
“Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions” (Prov. 4:25 MSG). Runners who compete hinder their race when they take their eyes off the finish line. The only way we are going to run our race effectively is to keep our eyes on Jesus. Anytime we feel as though we’ve been plowing through some things, we should remember that we’re in good company. Jesus also endured a lot before He finished His race. As we keep our eyes on the goal and keep moving forward, we will come to the end of that field we’re plowing and it will yield an abundant harvest.
TWO: KEEP OUR AFFECTIONS ON THINGS ABOVE
“Every soldier called to active duty must divorce himself from the distractions of this world so that he may fully satisfy the one who chose him” (2 Tim. 2:4 TPT). The affairs of life can entangle us and become a higher priority than spiritual things. Yes, we should enjoy life—family, friends, activities, and hobbies. But because we are Christians, our perspective must be an eternal one. Let’s impact people’s lives with the mercy, goodness, and power of God.
THREE: KEEP OUR HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil” (Luke 6:45 NKJV). Our heart is like a bank account. Whatever is deposited in it is what will be withdrawn. We have to be cognizant of the deposits we are making. How do we get rid of bad deposits? Through the law of displacement. We can remove the residue of chocolate milk from the bottom of a glass by putting it under a faucet and blasting it out with water. And we can remove bad deposits from our heart by putting ourselves under a deluge of the water of God’s Word and letting that Word wash us clean.
THE ONLY WAY WE ARE GOING TO RUN OUR RACE EFFECTIVELY IS TO KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS.
FOUR: KEEP OURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34 NKJV). This verse is not a suggestion. It’s a commandment given to us by Jesus, and He expects us to obey it. In his first letter, the Apostle John provided insight into God’s love: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10–11 NKJV). God loved us unconditionally while we were still sinners. Can’t we do the same for others? Yes, we can.
FIVE: KEEP ON KEEPING ON
The Apostle Paul told us, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal. 6:9 NKJV). We have a race to run and a course to finish. I believe it would be God’s pleasure for us to have the same testimony as Paul. He wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day” (2 Tim. 4:7–8 NKJV). A crown symbolizes honor and is an emblem of a champion. Let’s run our race so when we look upon the face of Him Who redeemed us, we will hear Him say, “Well done!”
[Editor’s Note: Marty Blackwelder is an itinerant minister and has served in various ministry capacities for the past 30 years. This article was adapted from Marty’s Campmeeting 2024 message.]
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Marty Blackwelder
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