RACE TO THE FINISH LINE

“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

Prepping for the big contest or race on the mountain, you don’t want to show up the day of without prior training and just wing it. For the best results, you most likely have been training for years. Days leading up to the comp, you get to know the course the best you can, have your board/ski freshly waxed and packed, and have a healthy and hearty meal and a decent night’s rest. I love the pressure to perform but equally have to fight my nerves. Mentally preparing is half the battle. It sure pays off to have the endurance to train and prepare every day with the end goal in mind. If we don’t do as well as we wanted, we then learn and grow and get back to our feet and try again.

Several times in the Bible, our everyday life in Christ is described as a race. Our Christian race isn’t much different; we can’t run very well if we’re bound up in sin. At the beginning of the race, Jesus may seem far away in the distance, but we know Him through the gospel. Life works best when we follow God’s Word and obey His commands. He didn’t give us commands to trap us, but to free us to run our race with endurance. When we do so, our true goal comes into view. As we run and keep our eyes on Jesus, God works on us and makes us more like His Son. Life with Christ is an everyday journey with many blessings, battles, and hardships which our Lord helps give us the strength to get through.

I’ve been saved for six years now and I haven’t looked back. I have been involved doing SFC ministry since I started following Jesus and need Jesus everyday. When I get off track, I come back to Jesus and trust He always gets me back on the right path. I know it will be a lifetime journey where I will need the endurance from the Lord to help me through the trials. Ultimately, He will bring us to our long-awaited reward: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

God knows we need help! Sometimes it is not easy or fun to develop it, but it has a guaranteed reward. In our spiritual race, we have to count the costs and commit to God’s training program. This training takes self-discipline. It takes moderation. Prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting, and fellowship are spiritual disciplines that help us grow. We must not draw back or quit! We must endure and finish the race and receive the incredible gift of salvation! Run the race that is set before you, but run it with the hope that God wants you to have in Christ. Fellow shredders, let’s train and prepare well to endure to the end. And let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, the author of our race and our faith. Then when we cross the finish line, we can hear these wonderful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:21).

By Taylor Brant| Evergreen, CO