Amazing Race (Part 2)

Ok, back to the race! Yesterday I shared one of the things I learned about our life journey from reading Hebrews 12:1-2. Today I want to share another piece of this puzzle with you. The second question I always ask when I'm about to run a race is, "what is the terrain?" I need to know if the race is on the road or on grass. I need to know if the race is downhill or uphill or both (and how much of both). Also, I like to know the race course before I set out...only because I don't want to take a detour and end up in the wrong place. All of these things help me in my preparation to run. The answers also help me gague how much energy I need for each part of the race...and make sure I stay on the course.

This is where Hebrews is so helpful to us. The writer says, "lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and run with endurance." The terrain of this life journey is tricky. There are detours all around us that we could take. There are different paths calling out to us and begging for our attention. And it’s hard to continue straight, especially when we start running up hill or through a tough spot in the race.

We can’t run very well with stuff weighing us down. And we can’t run when we keep getting distracted by sin. So I have a question for you today...what is holding you back from running with endurance? Is there a sin in your life that is distracting you? Are you finding yourself spending more time on detours than on the race itself? Whatever it is...if you want to run this race and be successful, you’ve got to toss it! Get it as far away from you as possible. Find someone on this journey with you to hold you accountable for stopping it.

Don’t get distracted. The road is not easy as it is, and if you have stuff weighing you down....it get’s even tougher to finish well and live out the purpose that God already has planned for you. It's a long race, and it's a tough race...but tomorrow we'll talk about the destination and you'll see that guarding your heart and mind against the sin and distractions that so easily entangle us is totally worth the finish line!