Hebrews 12:1–2 tells us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” but there are some days that we just don’t feel like running anymore. Luckily, Jesus already ran (and won!) His race, so we can look to Him as an example for how to run our races well. We are the modern-day cloud of witnesses that this passage refers to, and how we run our races will paint a picture for future generations of Christians as they run their races. In other words, it’s not just about us; it’s about a vision for the future of the Church.

Read Hebrews 12:1–2.

When we become followers of Jesus, we are called to run. We don’t get to opt out of it, so how can we make sure that we run well and with endurance? Luckily, this passage in Hebrews gives us a few practical suggestions.

We are called to run our own races. We don’t need to worry about what we think our race looks like compared to the person next to us, we just need to make sure that we are focused on running our races. Everyone’s race looks different: someone’s race could be staying faithful and waiting on God in a job they don’t like while someone else’s race could be pursuing reconciliation for broken family relationships. Even though our races may be different, the goal is not: staying faithful to what God has called us to.

Question: What would you consider to be your race at this stage in your life?

The beautiful thing about Christianity is that, no matter what our race is, we know that we serve a God who is on our side. There is no question about this because the Bible tells us this exactly. Romans 10.13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Not may be saved, or could be saved. Will be saved. And when we are saved, we have God on our side and He is fighting right alongside us.

In fact, He sent Jesus to die for us so that we could be saved. Jesus ran—and won—His race, even though it meant that He had to endure a painful death on the cross. For us, this means that Jesus will always be with us, even when we struggle to run our race well. When we get bogged down by sin and by dead weight, Jesus is there to help us persevere through that.

Let’s take a look at some of the things that could slow us down when we run our races. The first is sin and, for Christians, these may be some pretty obvious struggles that we have. Even if we struggle to fight the sin in our lives, it is usually pretty easy to identify it.

Question: What are some of the sins that you struggle with? How are they slowing down your race?

The passage in Hebrews talks about something else that we need to shed, too. It talks about dead weight. Dead weight isn’t what we automatically think of when we think of “sin”; it’s a little sneakier than that. It may be those things that seem innocent but are actually taking time away from our time with God or pursuing the things that are truly important in our races. Maybe it’s a hobby we have that’s taking us away from spending time with our families or isn’t a great use of the resources God has given to us. Whatever our dead weight might be, we are challenged to get rid of it so we don’t risk becoming spiritually fat.

Question: Look at how you spend your time and resources. What dead weight do you see in your life that is distracting you from your race? What are some steps you could take to shed that weight?

When we shed our sin and dead weight, amazing things happen. Not only can we run our races with more endurance, but we can love the people around us in ways that will attract them to Jesus.

The most important thing for us to remember is that if we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will finish our races well. The passage in Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the perfecter of our faith, which means that we will be able to shed our sin and dead weight with His help and His help alone. If we rely on our own abilities to finish the race, we will never make it. But if we fix our eyes on Jesus to perfect our faith, we will run with perseverance and we can begin to shed the things that slow us down.

On top of that, Jesus ran the perfect race. He already has a victory to His name! Not only do we serve a God who is on our side, but we serve a God who has given us an example of a victorious race in Jesus. When we are feeling discouraged, we can turn to Jesus’ victorious race for encouragement. Jesus’ race took Him to a painful death on the cross for us, and He endured it and eventually sat at the throne of God. If Jesus could endure worldly shame and pain, we can be encouraged when we experience persecution, difficulties, obstacles, and setbacks knowing that Jesus has won His race against those same things.

Question: Is there a time when you took your eyes off of Jesus for a moment during your race? How did that affect the way you ran? What are some practical ways that you can keep your eyes focused on Jesus so that you run your race with endurance and perseverance?