Run Patiently and Intelligibly the Race Set Before Us

Today I was doing my devotional in the morning, and I decided to check my emails, in my emails I receive a runners world quote (as cheesy as that sounds) well the quote that I received today was quite interesting as it was something I was praying about and my devotional talked about.

Here is the quote,

” Running should be a lifelong activity. Approach it patiently and intelligently, and it will reward you for a long, long time.”  Michael Sargent

This quote is about having a life of running, something I wish I could have, my patience is not so strong and I have to say although I know a lot about the Science of running and the importance of running, yet getting my butt off of the couch sometimes to run can be as difficult as climbing a very big mountain. Sometimes I can say that my walk/ run with the Lord is the same. I know a lot of stuff and I know the importance of being in the word and coming before the Lord every morning. I have been at Bible College and have studied the word and absorbed it into my heart, yet sometimes acting on this knowledge can be very difficult.

And believe me I know how amazing it is to run the race looking to Jesus, but it can still be difficult when factors around me can be very weighty and sometimes it can become comfortable, like the couch. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 we read, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” I have often prayed that my lackadaisical attitude would not weigh me down, but that I would be ready every morning to run with the prize in mind.

In the Psalms there is often mention of running and being able to run due to the awesomeness of God. Psalm 18 says for by you I can run against the troop, and Psalm 119 says I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart. I have experienced God enlarge my heart and that is when I feel I could outrun horses and run against troops… In Proverbs we read that if we keep the instructions and adhere to them, “When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. It also says that if we put our trust in the Lord we will run and not grow weary. (Isaiah 40:31 ESV). I should strive to run knowing that God will sustain me through it all. When Michael said we should approach it intelligently, I think about what it says in proverbs, this is the intelligible response adhering to the commandments so that we can run and our reward will be for a long, long time.

Another thing that I thought about was how if we approach running patiently and intelligibly then we know to do the stretches we need to do, and we know the importance of how we run and how we need to hydrate ourselves.  The same is with the word and with our running for God, In 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Paul talks about this,

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

 He says that we need to keep training and patiently do it so that we can say we did not run aimlessly. He again reiterates that in Philippians 2:16 “holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain.” We need to hold fast to the word and run looking to the lord and Saviour at the finish line.

Finally I thought I would leave us with these verses from Hebrews which basically sums up what I am trying to say in a manner of speaking,

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In this passage we see that there is the great Hall of faith, and we see the importance of laying aside those factors that stop us running and we must patiently endure with our eyes fixed on the goal looking to Jesus. If we do this, and I hope and pray we do, we will have the reward for a long, long, long, long time.

Blessings

Richard