Devotionals

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Some people live for the sake of living. Some live because they are afraid to die. Some live without hope, biding their time until death. Christ calls us to live with hope and purpose. Best of all, He gives us what we need to live this way.


Running with Purpose

There are runners, like Forrest Gump, who seem to find intense joy in simply the act of constant running.

I am not one of those runners. Sure, I used to be one of those crazy runners who loved the feeling of sore muscles. The more my body ached after a work-out, the better I felt. No, I did not love pain. I loved winning, and I knew that if I trained hard enough, I would win. In each training session, I pushed myself with visions of being the first, or one of the first, to cross the finish line. During a race, I pushed myself even harder, knowing that my end goal was just ahead; knowing that the pain was only temporary and that the reward would be worth it. Spectators stood along the path, cheering me on and instilling in me the conviction that I would rather collapse than give up with so many people watching. As I neared the finish line, I always saw my dad there waiting, cheering me on, giving me the courage to know that even if I stumbled across the finish line, barely able to stand, he was there to catch me.

The Christian life is not a Forrest Gump run – we do not run just for the sake of running. We run because we have a purpose. We push on because we have faith that the One who gives us the strength to run, won’t let us fall or quit. We run with the certainty that there is a finish line and that what’s waiting for us across the finish line will be so much better than anything we experience along the way.

To put this in non-runners terms: imagine what it would be like to constantly be in school, believing that there is no end goal or purpose for all your studies. Imagine climbing a staircase without knowing that you will eventually reach the top.


When we give ourselves to God, He fills our lives with purpose.

Read the following verses. Think about them. Pray about them.
What does it look like to run, rather than walk, in our Christian life?
Why should we run?

Isaiah 40:31, I Corinthians 9:24, Philippians 3:12-14, II Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1-2

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