You.

Let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews twelve verse is one through three I was at the gym one Monday morning after a particularly grueling weekend in which I had been on the go pretty much nonstop from morning until late at night. I could have skipped the gym that morning without hurting my feelings, but habit and my wife telling me it was good for what ailed me got the better of me. I settled in on an elliptical machine and got focused for a 30 minutes run. Before long, I was in the zone and I had worked up a sweat. I could feel the burn in my legs and it hurt so good because of the way I was feeling. I was sure that I had burned up at least 15 minutes. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the timer and realized I'd only been going for a minute and a half. It is said that persistent perseverance is the key to long term effects in physical fitness. We didn't get fat and out of shape overnight, and it takes time to get back what we lose through bad eating habits and lack of exercise. That's true in our spiritual health as well. If we get out of the habit of prayer, Bible reading, and worship on Sunday, our spiritual muscles turn to flab. Getting back into shape often takes considerable effort as we struggle to overcome the temptation to just chill out and rest on the assumption that God loves us. So it really doesn't matter whether we pray or go to church or make any real effort whatsoever to live according to the scriptures. The promise of heaven is great, but living a truly christian lifestyle until we get there isn't always so easy. It takes work, hard work at times, and it can be tempting to quit. But Jesus had a hard life on earth, too. What would have happened to us if he had quit? That's what the writer of Hebrews had in mind when he said that we should run with perseverance and fix our eyes on Jesus, who kept on despite the pain and opposition he faced. There are times when going to the gym is hard, but going anyway will pay off in better health down the road. There are also times when living the way God wants us to live is hard, but sticking with it will be more than worth it at the end of the journey.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected]. Have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.