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- Run the Race DAILY | Matthew 12:43-45
Run the Race DAILY | Matthew 12:43-45
Not weekly, not monthly, not yearly. DAILY.
Caleb Lee
March 20, 2024
Doing anything for a sustained period is hard.
Like running.
Running for 1 minute is fine. Running for 20 minutes is ok. Running for 5 hours? Hard.
But Jesus calls us to run the race for our entire lives.
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
Sticking with the running analogy for a moment, when you run for a sustained period, there comes a moment when it’s easier to keep running than it is to stop.
That’s not to say that continuing to run is easy, but you know that stopping and walking will make the rest of the race harder.
You’re more prone to walking after the initial walk.
You lose momentum.
That’s what being a Christian is like sometimes.
When you first become a Christian, you’re filled with energy and excitement and you don’t want the feeling to end, so you run.
You start serving the church, going to every event, meeting up with people, etc.
And then the excitement dies down.
And you find your old habits creeping back in, sins that you thought went away come back, and evil comes sneaking its way back into your life.
Until the next retreat or revival.
And the cycle begins anew.
But that’s not what Jesus wants.
He wants us to continue, running with endurance, until the end.
That’s not to say that He won’t forgive us if we trip up sometimes. But it does mean that we ought to be putting our full effort into running this race.
Daily.
But what I’ve found to be encouraging is the fact that at a certain point, you don’t feel like you’re running anymore.
Because you’re relying on Him more.
And it becomes this balance of your effort and His grace carrying you.
He sustains you in the race.
And if we rely on Him, we won’t ever thirst or be hungry.
Have a blessed Wednesday, friends.