(Nuggets from 2 John 1:8)
Starting something new is always exciting, even though you may initially have fears. Every idea for a new project, venture, or journey breeds deep excitement in the soul. In life we all love to start, we all look forward to the beginning of something new because it always sounds and feels magical in our minds. We get a feeling of euphoria which we hope will never disappear. Starting is infused with positives only, and our thoughts may roam the expanse of possibilities, and the results always end well in our minds. Starting is terrific, but there is something more powerful than STARTING; It is FINISHING.
The apostle Paul loved using metaphors to describe the Christian life. Among his favorites were a soldier, a boxer, and a runner. His use of each would be specific to a point in the making, but they each carried with them a common theme: COMMITMENT. The soldier must be committed to the battle, the boxer to their training, and the athlete to preparations for the race. There is one way, however, that a runner is different: “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).
While the boxer and soldier may have weight training included in their preparations, the runner does not. Extra weight slows a runner, and the same is true for the spiritual application in Hebrews 12:1. Running a race with the weight of sin saps our endurance. The race that was once a joy becomes a burden when we become ensnared by other things.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24, the apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it”.
To win the final reward, do not burden yourself with the weight of sins.
As we near the end of the race, the enemy will put many hurdles and obstacles in our way, and running through or jumping over them requires that we lay aside the things that hinder our ability to run.
We have all seen long‑distance sprinters who save an extra kick for the end of the race, and we are at that stage in ours. So, it's time to lay aside the endurance‑robbing distractions of this life and run strong as we near the finish line to win the FINAL REWARD - an IMPERISHABLE CROWN that awaits us.
This is HOLINESS CHALLENGE
DAY 81 OF 365 (2026)
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