RR “Endurance for the Race” by Jerry Miller

Shavuah Tov {{firstName}},

Hebrews 12:1-2a Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfector of faith.

We live in turbulent times, but our call as followers of Yeshua is to be those whose lives reflect the peace that is ours in the knowledge of Yeshua, rather than the turbulence so often surrounding us. We are called to be a people who thrive and flourish amid surrounding instability, providing a living testimony to others of the goodness of God. What is key for our lives reflecting this peace? Those who are learning to “run with endurance” are the ones who will live in victory, while those around them may be as confused and unsettled as the times themselves. The key to such endurance is to live our lives consistently focused on Yeshua. If our relationship with God is not the primary focus of our lives, we will surely find ourselves lacking the endurance needed for running our race.

The analogy here of a long-distance race is meant to provide a picture, giving us insight into the nature of our life and calling as Yeshua-followers. The writer of Hebrews might have had in mind a race similar to a modern-day Olympic marathon. The race would have been extremely competitive and physically demanding. For a runner to finish such a race with any possibility of winning, endurance was required.

Have you ever been involved in some sort of athletic activity, whether competitive or otherwise, and realize in the midst of the activity that you were not in adequate condition? In such a situation, one realizes that they do not have the endurance to do the activity effectively, or perhaps to even finish at all.

Until about ten years ago, I used to go jogging for about nine months of the year. Since I disliked running in colder winter weather, I would have a three-month layoff until the weather would warm up. Then in the spring, I would start running again, but I would find that after a few months of not running, I was out of shape. Clearly my endurance was lacking. Instead of easily running the distances I had been accustomed to running, I would find myself jogging just a fraction of those distances before I started huffing and puffing, being totally out of breath. If I had been in any type of race at such times, I would have been unable to finish.

Just as a distance runner needs endurance for finishing his race, we need endurance in our spiritual life, or else we will struggle to live victoriously. In Yeshua, God offers us a life of “righteousness and shalom and joy in the Ruach ha-Kodesh” (Romans 14:17). But without endurance, we will find ourselves likely giving way instead to discouragement, anxiety and defeat as we encounter the many challenges of life. How, then, is that endurance developed? It is by “focusing on Yeshua” that we are strengthened for daily life. Fixing our eyes on Yeshua is key to the process of conditioning, which is the requirement for our endurance.

One of several factors in a runner’s conditioning is their weight. If you have watched the Olympics or other such events, you might notice that long-distance runners tend to be very thin. The more weight a runner carries, the harder he must work to maintain the pace and speed necessary for victory. Therefore, extra weight must be dealt with in the conditioning period prior to the actual race. Otherwise, the runner will certainly not win and perhaps not even finish the race.

For us in our spiritual life and walk with the Lord, our “spiritual conditioning,” according to Hebrews 12, involves laying aside “every weight and entangling sin,” so that we can finish the course that God has mapped out for our lives. Our goal is not mere survival but winning our race. We are to be those who walk by faith as those victorious, even in trials and adversity. Instead of being overcome by the pressures and challenges of life, we can be the overcomers by the power of God’s grace.

Our most basic need for the victorious walk I am describing is the ongoing relationship with God, made possible by our trusting in Yeshua and looking to Him daily as the strength of our lives. As we walk with Him in relationship, He equips us for this walk of victory. Our responsibility is to seek Him daily and commit ourselves to a life of growing in this amazing relationship He offers us. His promise to us is that those who seek Him with all their hearts will surely find Him. To be continued…

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