Devotion 4: Ready To Run
"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." Hebrews 12:1-2
About ten years ago, I saw one of those marathon-style bumper stickers that read “0.0 I don’t run,” and I have never felt more understood and supported by a piece of sticky vinyl in my life. I hate running. In college, after a 2.5-mile treadmill run for a final PE exam, my teacher actually had to walk me around the gym for ten or so minutes because I think she thought I might die (I am not exaggerating). So, when Hebrews 12 describes the Christian life as a race, everything in me wants to hold up my 0.0 sticker and say, “Sorry God, but I have asthma and a weak sense of discipline; I am not your girl!” But here’s the thing, even though I hate physical running, God calls every believer into a race, and this one isn’t measured by miles. It is measured in endurance, focus, and joy. We don’t run this race because we love the feeling of the struggle; we run because, like Jesus, we see the joy set before us.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us that as we run our race, we must look to Jesus, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross." That phrase, “the joy set before Him,” is everything. Jesus didn’t endure the cross because it was painless. He didn’t walk through rejection, betrayal, humiliation, and death by crucifixion because it felt good. He did it because His eyes were locked on a joy so great, so certain, and so worth it, that every step towards that cross became a step towards victory! It was that very joy that made Him ready to run. What was that joy? It was you! It was the Father’s will fully accomplished! It was salvation finished and opened to the entire world! It was redemption complete, bringing many sons and daughters into His family forever! Jesus was ready to run His race because He knew what was waiting on the other side. Now He calls us to follow Him and run our own race. As hard as it is to remember sometimes, that same joy stands before us. Not the joy of an easy and pain-free life, but the deeper joy of knowing Christ, walking with Him, and becoming more like Him. The joy of yearning for that finish line, where we will one day hear, “Well done!” The joy of a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and an eternal home where we will always be in His presence with no more pain and no more sorrow. This joy is our future, and it compels us to keep going.
Even if we are 0.0 runners in real life, we can be ready for this race, not because we feel strong, fast, or prepared, but because the joy that awaits us is real. Jesus has already proved He is worth running towards. So, let’s step up to the starting line with confidence, fixing our eyes on Jesus and the joy ahead. The race may stretch us, but the finish is guaranteed, and the One who ran before us runs with us still.