This morning I came back to my studying of “walking with God” and I reading about the “heroes of faith” in Hebrews. As I was looking at two people mentioned in Old Testament scripture that walked with God, Enoch and Noah, they are also mentioned in Hebrews for their faith.
I have read Hebrews 11 in times past, but never from the aspect of walking with God. These two people are mentioned, along with many others. Can I assume that all these other people walked with God, too? I don’t like to assume, but I can say that it was by faith that Enoch was taken away and it was by faith. Also by faith, Noah was motivated to build an ark. It was by faith that he condemned the world and became and heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Okay, so I believe it would be safe to say that if you want to walk with God, you must live by faith? I encourage you, if you have never read the book of Hebrews 11, take time today to read it and look at what faith does. Faith and walking with God go hand in hand…no pun intended.
So, as I get up to process my thoughts and pour another cup of coffee and sit down at the makeshift desk that is my dining room table, my eyes end up at the beginning of Chapter 12 and a drawing of a runner I put in my Bible years ago. This part of verse 2 is highlighted:
“Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the souther and perfecter of our faith.”
My spirit got excited and I couldn’t help but think…
I am not called to just walk…I AM CALLED TO RUN!
Run with endurance.
Run with my eyes fixed on Jesus.
At the beginning of the verse it says that we have a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us and we have to lay aside every weight and the sin that easily entangles us.
My spirit got excited again and I couldn’t help but think…
I GOT A RACE TO FINISH!
There are people watching.
There is no place for the weight of sin when you are running. It’s got to go!
You don’t see someone running the Boston Marathon with stuff on their back. They aren’t looking behind them at what happened at mile 2 when they are on mile 15. They are fixed on the prize…Breaking that ribbon across their waist at the finish line. People are watching and their endurance is unmatched because of training. They ain’t worried about the crowd to the left and the right. They are looking ahead. It’s not about the medal, it’s being able to say that you finished!
My spirit got excited again and I couldn’t help but think…
ALL THIS WALKING IN THE WORD IS TRAINING!
I am keeping my eyes focused on what is ahead…not what everyone around me is doing. I’m walking slow at times, but you gonna find me running most days…’cause I got my eyes on the prize. It’s not a trophy…it’s not even a crown.
It’s the words, “Well done, my child. Well done.”