“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

I had watched my son-in-law run his first Ultra Marathon, 55 kilometers in one day. He had run several marathons before and I was surprised by his response to my question, “so what was the biggest surprise running the Ultra?”

“Running so slowly and waiting for the ones that lagged behind,” he replied. You see, the goal of the Ultra is to complete the race together and not just run your own race.

I couldn’t help but compare that to our Christian walk. We talk about running the race and finishing well, but sometimes we forget that it really isn’t about running our fastest or getting there in the shortest amount of time. Instead, it’s about running in such a way that we arrive at the finish line having taken along the most number of people with us.

Am I trying to run alone in my Christian walk or together with others? The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace. Our standing with Him is determined by how perfectly Jesus ran, not our performance. But nevertheless, we are to run—to honor and obey Him every step of the way!

Do you stop to show kindness to those that are struggling? Do you watch to see who needs you to slow down and run a while beside them to keep them on track?

Heavenly Father, thank You that it is Christ’s death on the cross that has saved me and nothing that I have done on my own. Help me to do what this verse says, to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with You as I run the race of life. Amen.

Take Action

Look for others to run with this week, especially those who are struggling. Speak an encouraging word and invite them to be energized through the power of the Spirit.



Tags: grace