It was a long race for a boy of 11 - twice around the track on a very hot day. Jonathan might not have tried so hard, but Dad and Mother and Grandma were all sitting in the bleachers watching him. There must be a good reason, or you just don’t run a long race on a very hot day. With three very important people watching him, Jonathan had a triple-strong reason, so he kept on running.
Not that he was winning. There were other boys ahead of him, but being the winner was not the goal. There was a good reward at the end, of course, but that reward was for everybody, not just the winner. Then why try so hard? You have to have a motive, or you don’t put on speed. And Jonathan’s motive was his love for those three very important people watching him.
Maybe some of us don’t qualify for a race like that, but we can each qualify for the race which God describes in Hebrews 12:11Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1). To qualify, you must know Jesus as your very own Saviour. He is our Strength and our Goal. Then God gives us two rules for running that race. First, “Lay aside every weight.” That means, don’t fill your pockets (or your life!) with junk. Carrying junk makes it much harder to run. Then verse 2 tells us, “Looking unto Jesus.” That means, keep your eyes on the goal and don’t look around to see how others are running. That’s God’s advice for Christian runners. Now start running! If you love Jesus, isn’t He the goal worth running for?
Nobody needed to tell those three in the bleachers where Jonathan was. Their eyes were on him all the way. They saw that on the second lap he was really hurting, but still running. He even put on a burst of speed when the finish line was in sight! Brave boy!
And Jesus sees exactly where we are in the race. He knows when the running gets tough and we hurt. But the finish line is in sight. Where is our burst of speed when we know that the Lord’s coming for us is so near?
Dad, Mother and Grandma rushed from the bleachers and exchanged big smiles and big hugs. And that was not all. There were hot dogs and drinks for everyone, and in such happy surroundings, everything tasted super. It was well worth the run.
And what will the rewards of heaven be for God’s tired runners? Jesus will welcome each with open arms. And He has wonderful surprises waiting for us, but He has told us very little about them. They are too wonderful to describe. But this much we know for sure, to be with our Saviour forever in the Father’s house will be wonderful, and we will leave the surprises to be enjoyed then.
So while we are still running, let us remember, “Lay aside every weight. . . . Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1212Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; (Hebrews 12:12)).
ML-11/26/1995