Running the Race

by Hugh DeLong

Text: Hebrews 12

Paul uses a lot of ‘life illustrations’ – body, temple, army, and sports. The writer of Hebrews now engages one of the sports illustrations – running. Personally, I dislike running (I prefer biking or other sports instead). But through the years have had to run. In running, particularly anything over a mile, there would always be some that took of in a sprint… and quickly ran out of gas!

Our life mimics this quite accurately. Our race is not a sprint but a distance run. Some, like my parents, lived to their 90s or even 100. My parents died at 95, grandma died at 102. They navigated the later years knowing they would die, but ‘not yet’. It is the not-yet years that pose different problems and obstacles. Yet, the one constant is that Jesus is our Lord.

Here we have the suggestion: lay aside that which derails faith. Quit. Walk away. Replace with better thoughts, activities, and associations. People find this a challenge as we have grown comfortable with ‘who we are’ and forgotten the ‘who we should be’ aspect of living as a disciple.

So, the second admonition is keep your focus set on Jesus and our eternal life lived in God’s presence. The ‘moment’ presents many obstacles, but our goal is to present a greater existence! Keeping your eyes upon Jesus means the same basics that have been taught: read about Him (your bible is still the best source), talk about Him, make friends with His friends, associate and worship together, pray, meditate. It isn’t a magic formula; it is simply filling your mind with thoughts of Him. Notice a few parallel exhortations:

• “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1–2).
• “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward… I press on toward the goal…” (Philippians 3:13–14, 20).
• “Those who are according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5–6).
• “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory…” (Titus 2:13).
• “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you…” (I Peter 1:13).
• “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (II Corinthians 4:16–18).

What are you looking at? What is the fixation of your life? What do you think about when you have ‘nothing to think about’?