Building Endurance.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

This weekend I spent some time volunteering at an annual Cross Country meet. It was the first time I had seen one, let alone been to one. I helped pass out water and snacks with some others from my school.

It was an experience because I learned so much. I realized, man, these runners, and all athletes for that matter, have such endurance. They are so good at what they do. In this case, the runners ran so fast, it was a blur.

They're very focused too. They're so focused that I suppose it makes running easier and it looks easy when they run, to me, but at the same time, I know very well it's not.

Before long, it's about time for the runners to start darting across the finish line, one after the other. I realized there may be a winner, but really everyone who ran that race is a winner. I know it took hard work to get where they are today. It takes a lot of time management. Everyone, including athletes, has their good days and their bad days. Because all of those runners have prepared for months or even years to get to where they are today, they are all winners. It's not the race itself that matters, it's the training and discipline that goes into all this.

Let this scenario be your guide for your spiritual walk. Sometimes you're going to have to up the anny a little. Train yourself (to read and know God's word), Focus yourself (on God), and pace yourself so you can get closer to God each day. Start running!