Where will you find true endurance for the race that has been set before you?…I think there is a temptation to look at the practicality of laying aside sins and weights in our lives, that we forget to train our eyes on the source of our ability….We aren’t hoping in some self-righteousness or some better standing with God. No. We are looking unto Jesus, the One who has done everything necessary for our salvation.

Don’t Look There!

I know what you’re thinking. “I’ve read that before.” But isn’t it tempting to look other places? Here are some places that we are tempted to look that aren’t Jesus. Some of us are tempted to look at our circumstances while we run. The race gets hard and all we can see are the hardships around us. Or, more deceptively, maybe things are just fine, and we begin to grow dull and slow our pace. We get sleepy and forget that we are supposed to be running to win.

Some of us are tempted to look at ourselves. We are running this race and all of the sudden we look down and we say, “Oh man. I’ve got so much sin on me. There’s no way that I’m supposed to be in this race. How am I even qualified?” We see sin and weights, and our eyes are taken off the race. We begin to despair, because our eyes are in the wrong place. Or worse yet, we look and say, “Hey! Look how fast I’m running! I’m doing really well.” And we begin to have this pride that wells up within us. We begin to see ourselves in an untruthful light. And that’s when we are prone to slip and fall. We forget to heed the warning, that he who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall (1 Cor 10:12).

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