May 14, 2025 - Hebrews‬ ‭12:1

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” Hebrews 12:1 NIV

Jesus, I was thinking about you and all that you endured for us here on earth. By looking at your whole life here on earth, we get a good lesson on endurance, but I want to focus just on your journey to your death. In the garden of Gethsemane where you sweated blood, (Luke 22:44) because of the anguish you were going through and all that lay ahead. You knew what was coming and what you would have to endure. As terrible as it was, you chose to continue forward, you allowed the mocking and gruesome beating, you allowed yourself to be falsely accused without defending yourself, you carried your cross toward your death, allowed yourself to be nailed to the cross and died a horrific death, all for us. Being God, you could have put a stop to it all at any time, but you endured it all for us.

Lord, help us learn to run whatever race you have us on with that kind of endurance. We thank you for all the sacrifices you made so we could have fellowship with you. We thank you for the way you endured through your time on earth. Let it inspire us to live for you the way you lived and died for us. Help us to set our faces on you and lock them in. And then help us run toward you, our goal, with endurance. We thank you that your word says it will be a light unto our path. Your promises never fail! So let us learn to run that path set before us unhindered.

Thank you, Jesus, for the example of endurance you are to us.

In Jesus name, amen.