How To Run Well...Continued from page 1

Gary Bruland

In Hebrews 12:1-3 we discover three truths about our spiritual fitness. First, running well relies on good preparation. Second, running well requires proper goals. Third, running well will result in growing perseverance.

Good Preparation

In his engaging and informative book, Bill Rodgers' Lifetime Running Plan, the four-time New York and Boston marathon champion confesses that the advice he seeks to offer beginning runners is the same advice that he offers veteran runners who have been at it for over thirty years like himself. According to Bill Rodgers, whatever your experience or ability level, you must approach your running with a commitment to "consistency, a sane approach, moderation, and making your running an enjoyable rather than dreaded part of your life.2

Few of us will ever log road miles with a world-class runner like Bill Rodgers, or benefit from some of the legendary coaches of the sport. But each of us will benefit from the lessons and legacies of spiritual leaders who have gone before us. Each of us can seek out spiritual mentors and fellow believers who will encourage us in our faith journeys day by day. Most importantly, as Christians, each of us is given the awesome privilege of running with the Greatest Runner.

Do you realize that many of the preparatory steps needed to begin or to resume your lifetime physical fitness plan are required to develop or strengthen your lifetime spiritual fitness plan? In terms of our race of faith, we have godly men and women who have gone before us, referred to as a "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1). These faithful followers of the Lord from centuries past, some of whom are mentioned in Hebrews 11, held firmly to their hope and trust in God's faithfulness, often during times of severe persecution. In fact, the word found in the original text describing these forerunners is martyrion from which we derive our English word martyr.

This cloud of witnesses is not like a cheering crowd of spectators in the stands, nor are they comparable to coaches who critique and suggest ways to improve our running. Rather, they are witnesses in the sense that they themselves have

run the race and kept the faith. Their lives and legacies are still bearing witness and testimony to us today about how to run well, trusting the promises of God which are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Runner. It is not a matter of them looking at us; rather, we are to look at them in order to gain insight and inspiration. These forerunners testify to the power and presence of the Lord who enabled them to run the race of faith. Now each of them are receiving their reward and rejoicing at having run well.