Our Eternal Hope

Let’s get moving and not just drift along.That’s a powerful message for believers stuck in fear or complacency about the future. Jesus calls all of us to run the race of faith as if we really want to win.

In fact, countless faithful believers in Jesus did just that, facing terrible odds against them, and now enjoy their heavenly reward. They are a “cloud of witnesses” cheering you on to run your race of faith by keeping your focus on Jesus.

What holds us back from running free? Anything that causes usnotto believe God. In fact, unbelief isthesin that hinders you from moving forward and growing in your faith.

By focusing on Jesus and all He endured, we let loose all those shackles and sin. We can run freely and without hindrance.

And God will do whatever it takes to set us free from things that hinder us from running the race. God loves us so much, as a father loves his children, that He’s willing to allow difficult circumstances into our lives to help form our spiritual character.

What matters is how you respond to God’s gracious actions in your life. That’s why it’s so important for you torememberthat God works continually in your life. He longs for you to trust Him in deeper ways, and to expand your faith in His purposes for you.

The best response to God’s loving discipline is learning from it and allowing Him to work in you. When you allow God to train you how to live more effectively in the power of Christ, you join Him in His loving purpose for you.

We need to be trained and taught by the Lord’s discipline, and then we will not find ourselves in the position of going “weak in the knees,” spiritually speaking. It is so easy to lose heart when life takes difficult turns. But God has loving purposes for you in those periods of trouble. You must trust Him on that.

Resist going through life as a follower of Jesus known for your continual complaining attitude. That’s so unbecoming of God’s desire for you. Unbelievers watch with intensity how you respond to adversity and disappointment, knowing of your faith in God. God can use your response to His loving discipline to bring someone closer to their own encounter with His Son.

Keeping yourself on a straight path of obedience also helps guard against falling into a pattern of negative responses to God. When you stray from God’s path, you risk stumbling and experiencing unnecessary injury—disruptions or distractions that hinder your walk with God. He can put you back on course, but you might walk the rest of your days with a “spiritual limp.”

When we live our lives in holiness—in ways that are pleasing to Him and honoring to His Son—people are attracted to that sort of authentic living. God can use your response to tough times to draw someone to Himself. When we are at peace with God through Jesus, we can be channels of that offer of peace to those who need it most.

Next: Learn of the danger of allowing bitterness to take hold of our lives.

1. Why do you think the writer of Hebrews chose the metaphor of running a race for the Christian life? What are the similarities?

2. How can believers today emulate soldiers who stand firm?

3. Both the soldier and the athlete have to lay aside things which would hinder them. What kind of hinderances could there be in your life which need to be set aside?

4. Our minds need to be focused on Christ and what He endured. When you lose this focus, what happens? What are some ways you can become more disciplined to think intentionally about Christ and His suffering?

5. Discipline from God is surely not pleasant when it happens, but what are the good purposes it accomplishes in our lives?

6. One way to avoid God’s discipline is to discipline ourselves, but we can rarely do this alone. Who can you depend on to help you in the task of disciplining yourself?

7. Think about the metaphors of an athlete and a soldier. What other metaphors for living a disciplined life could apply to the Christian?