Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - Nov. 18, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Keep Running!
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
—Hebrews 12:1-2
When people say they enjoy running, it makes no sense to me. I don't enjoy any kind of exercise, but I do it—reluctantly and under protest. My favorite part of a workout is when it is done. I have met people who talk about a runner's high, which, I am told, happens when endorphins are released. I have never experienced a runner's high, but one little secret I have discovered is that I always seem to do better when there is someone watching, when there is someone cheering me on.
In the race of life, you are being watched by others who have gone before you, by those who have already run this race. We read in Hebrews 11 about the great men and women of God who served Him faithfully, and they are referred to as "so great a cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1. Another version puts it this way: "Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins" (msg).
The idea is that you keep running. When I look at the lives of some believers I knew when I first came to Christ, it is sad to see the mess they have made of their lives through wrong choices and by getting sidetracked. Then I can think of others who started their race without much promise, but they are doing very well today. So it is not enough to start well. We need to finish well too.
Keep running. Look to Jesus as the one you are running for. He is watching you. He is urging you on. Are you running to win?
Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
to listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com, click here.
SPECIAL OFFER
In times of tragedies and trials, certain things become evident:
- This life will have its sorrows
- God loves us
- Jesus weeps in our times of pain
- God can be glorified through human suffering
Hope for Hurting Hearts, Pastor Greg Laurie's new book, examines these truths, revealing God's love and care for us, and shows how we can find hope, even in the midst of the most unbearable pain and sorrow.
You can have your own copy of Hope for Hurting Hearts by Greg Laurie in appreciation for your gift to Harvest Ministries this month. 
