Run!
Scripture Reading — Hebrews 12:1-3
Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us … run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
—Hebrews 12:1
Our physical bodies need daily exercise and activity. If we rarely stretch, exercise, do physical work, or play sports, our bodies will grow inflexible and heavy. In the long run we will risk all sorts of health problems. By midlife we will feel the aches and pains of old age prematurely.
Though we don’t often think of our spiritual life in the same way, we need to work at being spiritually fit as well. We need to exercise our souls and do faith-building exercises.
These are not exercises we do by our own strength, however. Through Jesus Christ, God has given us a “new nature” that needs to grow up and become strong. The apostle Paul explains that Christians together are like a body that needs to be attached to Christ as their Head, and “the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Colossians 2:19).
As we grow in Christ, we need to exercise all the muscles of our faith. As our text tells us, we must “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” We are called not to shuffle or trudge along in our spiritual life, but to press on, with exertion, for God’s glory.
Creator God, thank you that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Help us not only to be physically fit but also to be active in your kingdom work so that we may bring you glory and honor. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Jason Zuidema
Jason Zuidema lives in Repentigny, Quebec, with his wife, Anna, and their three children. He is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary and currently serves as executive director of the North American Maritime Ministry Association. He is the author of a special Seafarers edition of Today devotions published by ReFrame Media in 2012.
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