Image generated by a ChatGPT prompt.
I was inspired yesterday by a sermon from Chuck Beckler at Wonder Lake Bible Church, as he discussed Hebrews 12:1-3, which contains the famous imagery of running the race for Christ.
Before bringing up this topic, Beckler mentioned how often individuals seek something more than Jesus. I had not heard this specific terminology before, but it makes complete sense. We often look for some greater earthly experience that we can achieve by trying to mark our own path instead of surrendering to Christ, and articulating that we believe there is something greater than Jesus is a humbling admission we would all prefer not to make. Our admittance to such moments can help us center ourselves to live more like Christ in our daily walks.
Beckler also made a summary statement regarding how we are to run the race for Christ from the passage.
“Running the race is to keep moving for our faith daily and surrendering everything to Christ in loving obedience and joy.”
The importance of joy is something to not underestimated. Life is not meant to be always gleeful, but rather, to have a steady understanding of joy rather than always seeking to have the highest points possible at all times. Beckler described the Christian race as both joyous and exhausting, which I relate to, knowing that oftentimes the right choice is not the easiest. It may not make us happy in the specific moment. That said, the overarching reward of making the right choice is that it allows us to keep our eyes on the Lord, which is an important aspect of our lives.
Beckler noted that rest is an important part of running the race, because one is to run the race of endurance, not a race to reach a certain place, as Beckler noted: “One cannot pour from an empty cup; rest is holy.”
As a society of believers, I believe that a great calling card of this message is to first identify what we idolize, or what we seek “more than Jesus.” Additionally, finding ways to welcome and enjoy rest as part of the Christian experience is important to maintaining our ability to race well through surrendering activity and enjoying the Sabbath. We do not need to outrun the Lord because, as the Elevation Worship song notes, Christ is “Always on Time,” trusting that God has delivered us in the past and will help us in the present and the future.
Minds of Meaning 