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Scripture is filled with small, but explosive, LIFE nuggets. And we discover one today. Notice in our Hebrews 12:1 passage that the author says “Let US run…” The word “us” is a small, but explosive, LIFE nugget!
I cannot, you cannot, run your race alone.
You were not designed to run your race alone.
Therefore, you cannot run your race alone.
You need running partners.
Notice I did not say, and the text does not say, that you need to have relationships with other church members or Christians. Unfortunately those words have been robbed of so much of their chutzpah. Being a church member or calling one self Christian and NOT running God’s race is way too common today. So the author of Hebrews is clear – we need to have partners in our lives who are actively engaged in running God’s race for their lives.
In addition to Hebrews 12, this same “us” LIFE nugget weaves through the Lord’s Prayer.
- “Our” Father
- Give “us” daily bread
- Forgive “us” our sins
- Lead “us” not into temptation
Jesus’s intent is that His people live Lord’s Prayer lives together. So we walk with others whose desire is to see our Father’s name glorified, His kingdom and will advanced, His forgiveness received, His bread enjoyed, and His leadership against evil embraced. Lord’s Prayer living is supposed to be the norm for Christians.
And running God’s race together is the Hebrews equivalent of living the Lord’s Prayer together.
You simply cannot do life, run the race, live the Prayer alone.
Alright, that’s fine. I get it. So where do I find people with whom I can run?
Ugh. I wish the answer was as easy as just showing up in church or finding a good Bible study to join. Sadly, the vast majority of people in those places, while well-meaning and nice people, are not necessarily given over to running God’s race.
If you are serious about finding running partners, I suggest the following:
- Earnestly pray – Cry out to our Father asking Him to lead you to strong Jesus followers.
- Meet with your pastor – I assume your pastor is running God’s race but this may not always be the case.
- Find a para-church ministry that works with a demographic of people you feel connected to and meet with the leadership – If you resonate with helping mom’s in crisis, find a ministry serving those women. Email the leadership and tell them what you are interested in.
- Ask friends in the Lord – Talk to other Christians and tell them you are looking for strong Christians running God’s race. I bet they will know who is “serious.”
Be prepared for disappointment. Boy, that is a tough line to write and an even tougher reality to experience. Sadly, many of our brothers and sisters are just not serious in their faith. Even those serving in church or ministry can be doing so more to make themselves feel good than as a movement of God’s race for their lives.
Nevertheless, persevere. Strong brothers and sisters in the Lord are close by. God our Father will be faithful as you pray and step. Be wise. While having running partners of the opposite gender can be good, your primary partners need to be the same gender you are. Men run with men. Women run with women. The depth you need to have is not wise with members of the opposite sex.
Victoriously running God’s race is a team deal. We run together as children of our Father, brothers or sisters of Jesus, and temples of the Holy Spirit. We share life together – the wins and the losses. We live in each other’s rhythms. We laugh together. We weep together. We pray together. And we fight against the rulers and principalities of this present darkness….together.
So run.
Run full out.
Sell out to God’s race for you.
Enjoy the fullness and power and meaning and substance of the runner’s life.
JUST RUN TOGETHER.
