“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2
Here, the author of Hebrews tells us the secret to running the race of life well with endurance. Always keep your eye on Jesus! Life is difficult. It’s full of temptations. The path of faithful obedience to Christ is uneven, narrow, and treacherous. Sometimes it can even be difficult to see amongst all the possible paths before you. On your own, you will stumble, trip, fall, or turn off onto a different path altogether. But if you keep your eyes on your Lord and Savior, you will safely run this path for God’s glory and your blessing!
Look to Jesus constantly. Read of Him daily in the Bible. Meditate on Him, His teachings, and His example. Jesus endured a brutal path of obedience to His Father’s will. He endured betrayal, the failure of His followers, injustice, humiliation, abuse, torture, and death. He did that by looking toward His Father and the glory of the redemption of creation. Jesus ran His race with perfection, never giving in to temptation, never sinning or falling short of God’s standard. And He did it to redeem creation and rescue you from your sins.
Now Jesus rules and reigns in Heaven. And His Spirit lives in each of His followers. He, Himself, is in union with His followers – with YOU. And as you look to Him, you have the power to run your difficult, painful, long, treacherous race with holiness and endurance. You can make disciples. You can lift the name of Jesus high. You can reveal Christ’s strength in your weakness. You can show the world the truth and power of the Gospel. You can be transformed, new creation. Just look to Jesus – He isn’t just the starting point of your faith, He’s the One Who perfects it. Let Him! #FollowJesus