Running Our Race to Win

Episode Summary: This podcast always begins with a reference to the race marked out for us, from Hebrews 12:1. After its author devotes 40 verses to highlighting the faith of the members of the Biblical Hall of Fame in chapter 11, he says to each of us: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, AND LET US RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (12:1-2a). This description of the life God has planned for you and me to live is a race requiring endurance. That is a stunning revelation of what God is doing in our lives—building enduring trust in God. James explains that there is only one way to build enduring faith. “Consider it all joy,” he writes, “when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produce endurance.” God is telling us in his Word that the individual race marked out for us will relentlessly test our faith to produce endurance. This podcast zooms into the life of Elijah the Tishbite because the race marked out for him has so many parallels to the race marked out for us including the way God tests his faith. For Further Prayerful Thought. What stood out to you in the biblical overview of trials? When God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, where a widow would care for him, what obstacles to his trust in God do you think he had to overcome. What do you most admire about Elijah’s faith? What do you most admire about the widow’s faith? When God has tested your faith through tough times, what has most help you still trust God and get through those times? For the printed version of this message click here. For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here. For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here. To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)