Daily Devo

The Race

By: Bob Worzalla

Monday, October 13, 2025

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-3

Many bible verses compare Christianity to running a race. Running is sometimes referred to as a "pure" sport because you don't need any special equipment to participate. Following Christ is similar; the only equipment we need is our bibles and a desire to move forward.

God has marked out a unique path for us. We share the same finish line of heaven, but the course God sets out for each of us is different. The race God has for us resembles what racers call a time trial, where each runner leaves one at a time instead of starting as a massive group. The race that Hebrews describes isn't a person-vs-person race either, it's more like a person-with-God race. We aren't striving to pass each other and get there first; we're striving to follow Jesus as close as we can.

We're "racing" solo, but other people play a part in our race; we're there to help each other when we stumble and encourage each other when we get weary. We can't finish alone, and we want the victory circle to be as crowded as possible! We help our fellow runners by using the gifts that God has given us. If we are teachers, we should teach. If we are givers, we should give cheerfully. If we are encouragers, we should encourage someone. All these gifts are necessary to help everyone finish well.

For me, it's been much easier for me to follow Jesus with another runner's help. I can’t count how many times I would have stumbled if not for others... God placed other believers in my life to help and encourage me, and one of them is my wife.

I ran track in college, and here's what I needed to race effectively:

A coach to instruct me.

A doctor to heal my injuries.

A plan to achieve my goals.

Teammates to encourage me.

Practice to hone my skills.

When I got serious about following Jesus, I needed these things:

A doctor (Jesus) to save my life.

A coach (Pastors) to teach me about God

A plan (God's Word) to help me grow.

A team, a church to be part of

Practice, as I continued to grow spiritually.

These lists are similar, but on list #2 (the spiritual one) notice we need to see "Doctor Jesus" first. We were all "sick" with sin before we met Jesus, but at our moment of salvation we were cured! Now, we must keep running towards our savior and follow His footsteps to heaven!