Running the Race of Life with Perseverance
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Anybody who runs distance, really of any sort, you learn a couple of lessons. And one of those is that you run light, right? Like, you're not carrying, unless you're, like, training, you're not carrying extra weight. You're not going, like, you know, what if I wore a backpack and just had, you know, extra whatever, you know. You're like, no, I want to run free. I want to, it just makes sense. And so when the author, one of the authors of Scripture talks about the race that you and I have been called to run, it's not a surprise that the same wisdom is given, that when you want to run the race of life, you need to sometimes get rid of stuff in your life." [44:05]
2. "We all have our habits and idiosyncrasies and hurt that we bring into, you know, our life. We carry weight from the past. If you could see, if we could see each other with our emotional baggage, you'd be like, you know, we're walking like this. Like, we're going to the picnic tomorrow, and you know, and I'm carrying all this, hopefully I've released a lot of that, but we all have stuff that we carry. We carry weight. And it impacts our relationships." [52:19]
3. "Success is not about career. It's not about how much money you have. It's not about achievements, your own or your children, or whatever kind of enjoyable experiences you might rack up in life. What matters most to God and what gives the greatest sense of fulfillment is when you begin to love God with all your heart, and you begin to love the people around you in a way that honors him." [50:07]
4. "I began to rewrite my life. I began consciously to say nice things to people, to let them know that I appreciated and liked them. I tried to act warmly. I began to hold my tongue when I had something to say that might be construed as critical or snobbish. And I hated it. It felt horribly unnatural. I despised having to watch my words, having to mull over every interaction and see whether I'd handled it well and got my message across. Why couldn't I just be myself? The old, nasty self. I believed that acting sincerely was enough. Now I felt that I was acting insincerely, putting on an act. My changes did bring noticeably better results, though. People told me I was different. They told me I seemed warmer, happier. People opened up to me. People sought me out. I liked those differences." [01:01:03]
### Quotes for Members
1. "A lot of people will deny, you know? Your spouse or friend takes a risk, and they bring up a way that they think you could do better in relationships, and you're like, that's just who I am. I mean, I've always been like that. Come on. And we deny that it's an issue. Secondly, we ignore the problem. You admit that you could do better. You could be better. But you just don't take any action. And the people around you feel helpless because they can't change you. The only person who can change you is whom? Is you. That's it. And the third one is we blame. You know, I mean, come on. It's like the family I grew up. I mean, my dad was like that. My brother's like that. You know, it's just who I am. I can't help it. I mean, just blame my, blame somebody. And here's the problem with all three of those, deny, ignore, or blame. Is that we miss out on a strategic opportunity to grow and to become the best version that Jesus wants us to be." [55:24]
2. "Your friendships will never be stronger than the person that you bring into that relationship. So what are you willing to do to make every effort? Every effort to become the person that Jesus wants you to be. Here's the great news. You don't have to do it alone. It says here that keep your eyes fixed on whom? Jesus, the pioneer, like the beginner, and the perfecter of our faith. And he's going to be with you every step of the journey. And here's what another scripture says. The one who calls you is faithful and he will what? He'll do it. He'll do it. He'll complete his work in you if you stay cooperative in his hands." [01:08:54]
3. "Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. So the author's comparing my life, your life to a race. And he says, I want you to run well. And in the process, he goes, I want you to make every effort. That's an interesting word study, but you know, if you look at that little phrase, make every effort, it's nine times in the New Testament, twice in this book of Hebrews. And we're given two things here to make every effort. He says, first of all, every effort to be holy. It's an expression of my love for God, right? That I want to become more and more, holiness is not some kind of weird, ethereal, like you start talking like this all the time or whatever. It just means that your life looks more and more like Jesus. You get rid of stuff that hurts that, and you begin to ask him to shape you and to make you more like him." [48:52]
4. "We said these three things. Would you say them aloud with me? You ready? Prioritize the person, pause before responding, and plan good questions. And we said that our goal is not to impress others, but to bless them, right? I want a person to walk away from, from the conversation going, you know what? I feel value when I'm with them. Like they draw me out and they, today we want to talk about how do you release relational blocks? How do you run free so that your relationships can grow stronger?" [46:59]
5. "Friends, the Bible's challenge is consistent. You and I have a key role in our growth. Like, it's going to be uncomfortable. It might feel unnatural. We might go, I don't really know. This is like. But over and over again, the Scriptures give us. I've listed some in your notes. It says, like, walk in the Spirit. Get rid of sin. Work hard. Put off your old self. Grow in grace. Flee evil desires. And here in Hebrews, make every effort. Right? That's on me. That's on you. I can't ask someone else to make me grow. It's what kind of decisions am I willing to make. And here's the good news. When you have a relationship with Jesus, His Spirit comes inside of you. And He empowers you. You cooperate with His shaping work in your life." [01:02:26]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "Anybody who runs distance, really of any sort, you learn a couple of lessons. And one of those is that you run light, right? Like, you're not carrying, unless you're, like, training, you're not carrying extra weight. You're not going, like, you know, what if I wore a backpack and just had, you know, extra whatever, you know. You're like, no, I want to run free. I want to, it just makes sense. And so when the author, one of the authors of Scripture talks about the race that you and I have been called to run, it's not a surprise that the same wisdom is given, that when you want to run the race of life, you need to sometimes get rid of stuff in your life." [44:05]
2. "We all have our habits and idiosyncrasies and hurt that we bring into, you know, our life. We carry weight from the past. If you could see, if we could see each other with our emotional baggage, you'd be like, you know, we're walking like this. Like, we're going to the picnic tomorrow, and you know, and I'm carrying all this, hopefully I've released a lot of that, but we all have stuff that we carry. We carry weight. And it impacts our relationships." [52:19]
3. "Success is not about career. It's not about how much money you have. It's not about achievements, your own or your children, or whatever kind of enjoyable experiences you might rack up in life. What matters most to God and what gives the greatest sense of fulfillment is when you begin to love God with all your heart, and you begin to love the people around you in a way that honors him." [50:07]
4. "I began to rewrite my life. I began consciously to say nice things to people, to let them know that I appreciated and liked them. I tried to act warmly. I began to hold my tongue when I had something to say that might be construed as critical or snobbish. And I hated it. It felt horribly unnatural. I despised having to watch my words, having to mull over every interaction and see whether I'd handled it well and got my message across. Why couldn't I just be myself? The old, nasty self. I believed that acting sincerely was enough. Now I felt that I was acting insincerely, putting on an act. My changes did bring noticeably better results, though. People told me I was different. They told me I seemed warmer, happier. People opened up to me. People sought me out. I liked those differences." [01:01:03]
### Quotes for Members
1. "A lot of people will deny, you know? Your spouse or friend takes a risk, and they bring up a way that they think you could do better in relationships, and you're like, that's just who I am. I mean, I've always been like that. Come on. And we deny that it's an issue. Secondly, we ignore the problem. You admit that you could do better. You could be better. But you just don't take any action. And the people around you feel helpless because they can't change you. The only person who can change you is whom? Is you. That's it. And the third one is we blame. You know, I mean, come on. It's like the family I grew up. I mean, my dad was like that. My brother's like that. You know, it's just who I am. I can't help it. I mean, just blame my, blame somebody. And here's the problem with all three of those, deny, ignore, or blame. Is that we miss out on a strategic opportunity to grow and to become the best version that Jesus wants us to be." [55:24]
2. "Your friendships will never be stronger than the person that you bring into that relationship. So what are you willing to do to make every effort? Every effort to become the person that Jesus wants you to be. Here's the great news. You don't have to do it alone. It says here that keep your eyes fixed on whom? Jesus, the pioneer, like the beginner, and the perfecter of our faith. And he's going to be with you every step of the journey. And here's what another scripture says. The one who calls you is faithful and he will what? He'll do it. He'll do it. He'll complete his work in you if you stay cooperative in his hands." [01:08:54]
3. "Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. So the author's comparing my life, your life to a race. And he says, I want you to run well. And in the process, he goes, I want you to make every effort. That's an interesting word study, but you know, if you look at that little phrase, make every effort, it's nine times in the New Testament, twice in this book of Hebrews. And we're given two things here to make every effort. He says, first of all, every effort to be holy. It's an expression of my love for God, right? That I want to become more and more, holiness is not some kind of weird, ethereal, like you start talking like this all the time or whatever. It just means that your life looks more and more like Jesus. You get rid of stuff that hurts that, and you begin to ask him to shape you and to make you more like him." [48:52]
4. "We said these three things. Would you say them aloud with me? You ready? Prioritize the person, pause before responding, and plan good questions. And we said that our goal is not to impress others, but to bless them, right? I want a person to walk away from, from the conversation going, you know what? I feel value when I'm with them. Like they draw me out and they, today we want to talk about how do you release relational blocks? How do you run free so that your relationships can grow stronger?" [46:59]
5. "Friends, the Bible's challenge is consistent. You and I have a key role in our growth. Like, it's going to be uncomfortable. It might feel unnatural. We might go, I don't really know. This is like. But over and over again, the Scriptures give us. I've listed some in your notes. It says, like, walk in the Spirit. Get rid of sin. Work hard. Put off your old self. Grow in grace. Flee evil desires. And here in Hebrews, make every effort. Right? That's on me. That's on you. I can't ask someone else to make me grow. It's what kind of decisions am I willing to make. And here's the good news. When you have a relationship with Jesus, His Spirit comes inside of you. And He empowers you. You cooperate with His shaping work in your life." [01:02:26]
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