Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
October 15, 2022
Read Hebrews 12:1-3
1 So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, 2 and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about the one who endured such opposition from sinners so that you won’t be discouraged and you won’t give up.
Good Morning, This is a great day to praise the Lord.
My class yesterday was long,but I learned so much. Wow! I have another full day of class today, and then I fly home. Our daily lives often resemble a race, and we must never lose sight of where we are headed. I remember a silly 1970’s spoof about a cross country car race. The first thing one driver did was to rip off the rear view mirror saying “What’s behind me is not important.” He was solely focused on moving forward to the finish line.
During my 50th trip around the sun, I decided to sign-up for a local 5k race. I had never been a runner, but I loved to walk. The money raised from the race supported a worthwhile local charity. Since I had no delusions of finishing among the leaders, I paced myself and finished the race in a reasonable amount of time for a novice racer.
For the next few years, I did many races and expanded my distance to 13.1 miles, a half-marathon. Even though I had entered the realm of serious racers, my goal remained the same, finish the race. I trained and prepared for these races as diligently as the elite runners who ran. I was always fascinated by the runners who were usually in their 20’s who had pulled up lame within the first few miles of the race. Too often, it seemed that they entered the race assuming that because they were young, they didn’t need to prepare or train. They also hadn’t learned the secret of pacing themselves so that they could endure to the end of the race.
Our faith journey resembles a life of a racer. We must first decide to enter the race. Once we’ve entered, we must train and prepare by establishing a relationship with God through reading Scripture, praying, and joining with other believers in fellowship. Without a training plan, we will falter like those runners who collapse after a short distance. We need to commit to reaching the finish line. Through faith, we develop the endurance to overcome all obstacles and join our fellow believers in glory!
Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. May we grow in faith and endurance as we complete our race that you laid out in front of us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Every day brings new opportunities to run the race for God.
Lace up your sneakers! Pastor Liz
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