Show Notes
READ: HEBREWS 11:1–12:3
You can’t catch your breath. You feel weak, and you just want to lie down and give up. If life is a race, you’re in last place and the finish line is miles away. Should you even try to keep going?
Many people who’ve gone before have felt the same way, and yet somehow they’ve persevered—not just waiting for time to pass, but moving forward, even when the specific outcome was unknown. Noah spent years building the ark before the waters began to rise. Abraham left his home when he didn’t know where he was going. Moses led the Israelites around the desert for forty years and didn’t even get to go into the Promised Land. Rahab hid the Israelite spies and then kept their whereabouts a secret from her own city, not knowing when they would return. These people weren’t perfect. They messed up, but they also stuck with it.
What was their secret? Faith in the God who keeps His promises. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and others knew there was more to their stories than what they could see in front of them.
In the same way, God calls us to be faithful in difficult circumstances even when we don’t know exactly how things will work out. But He doesn’t just tell us to persevere—and then leave us to run the race by ourselves. He promises to be with us in it. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to “run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus, the one who calls us, is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24). He has run the race, finished it, and promised to always be with us. He covers us with His grace, knowing we aren’t perfect, and gives us the strength to keep going until the day He comes again. • Mary Rozendal
• Can you think of a time when situations in your life made you feel overwhelmed, and you just wanted to give up? Were there any ways you noticed Jesus providing strength in that time?
• Jesus calls us to keep running, knowing that the finish line is eternal life with Him in restored creation! Remember, this race is not a sprint but a marathon. To run with endurance, we have to rest, take breaks, and sometimes reevaluate the things we’re doing. Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you discern how you can run well in your own unique situations?
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (CSB)
More from Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens
READ: PSALM 139:1-4; ROMANS 5:6-8; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 We curate the caption and crop the distraction, Chasing the applause of a virtual reaction. We polish the exterior to hide the interior, Afraid that our true selves are somehow inferior. But in the quiet, when the screen goes black, We feel the heavy weight of the perfection we lack. See, Jesus didn’t come for your highlight reel, He came for the brokenness you try to conceal. No filter could cover the crimson cost of sin, So He opened His arms to let the rebels in. On the cross, He was exposed, stripped, and bruised, So the real you would never have to be refused. He was buried in the dark so you could walk in the light, Tearing the veil to make your future bright. The grave couldn’t hold Him, the stone rolled away, Giving you mercy that is new every day. You are not a brand, a post, or a trend, You are chosen, beloved, and called His friend. So drop the performance, let the pretense cease, And rest in the rhythm of His perfect peace. • Ty Scott King • Why do you think it’s sometimes easier to show people a curated version of ourselves rather than who we really are? What parts of yourself do you try to curate, edit, and hide away? • Jesus sees the unedited version of you, and He loves you so much that He died and rose again for you. How could this truth affect the way yo view your mistakes, flaws, or things you just don’t like about yourself? • Are there any areas of your life where you feel like you’re putting on a performance instead of trusting God’s grace? Consider spending some time in prayer, laying these things down at Jesus’s feet and asking Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)