THE SPIRITUAL MARATHON
Memorise: But he that shall endure unto the
end, the same shall be saved. -
Mathew 24:13
Read: Hebrews 12:1-3 (KJV)
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,
lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Bible In One Year: 2
Chronicles 32:1-33:9; John 3:1-21
The day you genuinely gave your life to Christ, you began a race. It is a
spiritual race. The race to Heaven is not a sprint but a marathon. It is not
something you run with all your strength for just one day and it ends there.
Unlike the regular marathon that goes through streets and paths already marked
out, you may have to take unmarked routes and paths hitherto unknown while
running this race. Also, unlike in regular marathons where you can meet someone
who has successfully finished the race for tips, those who have run this
peculiar race to the end are definitely not around on earth for people to
consult with.
By the grace of God, as young as I am in Christ, I have been running this race
for more than forty years now, and I am yet to reach the finishing line. There
are people who joined this race some fifty or sixty years ago, and they are
still on it till now. Every race has its peculiar nature. If you need patience
and a lot of tact while running an earthly marathon, you will need much more of
these while running the heavenly race. No wonder Hebrews 12:1 says,
“Wherefore seeing we also are
compassed, about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us”
However, just like it happens in earthly marathons, there are several
casualties in the heavenly race. Some people start a marathon like a sprint.
They run far ahead of others, but after some time, they lose steam and begin to
retrogress while those they left behind overtaken them. Also, there are those
who fall and injure themselves, ending up in an ambulance. There are also those
who out of exhaustion are unable to continue the race, and so they drop out.
There are even those who after running for a while, gradually step out of the path,
and are disqualified. All these scenarios are applicable to the spiritual
marathon. Since you started the race to Heaven, have you been affected by any
of these? Have you stepped out of the path of the race? Have you run out of
steam? Have you fallen and refused to rise up? Get up today! The Lord will give
you strength. Persist some more. Take it one day at a time. Call on the Lord to
help you. Never give up. Each day that passes draws you closer to the finishing
line. You will make it in Jesus’ Name!
Prayer Point: Father, grant me grace to run the race to Heaven with
wisdom, patience and perseverance.
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