It was a recurring dream. She was in a race and running on grey asphalt. People lined the road but they weren’t watching her—they were taking selfies. Yards ahead she could see red tape marking the finish line. Muscles screaming in exhaustion and lungs gasping for air she kept running to break through the red tape and finish the race.
The crowd didn’t cheer her victory. There was no ribbon with a medal placed around her neck. She thought, “Why did I run? Where’s the reward?” But each time she experienced the dream she chose to run and didn’t ask, “What makes me run in this race?”
As a sister in Christ, don’t we ask the same questions as the runner? Is there a desire in our heart to hear a crowd cheer and receive a medal for our Kingdom work? Do we ask, “What makes me run in this race?”
What makes us run is God’s promise of an eternal reward and love for Jesus.
Persevere In Your Kingdom Work
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
Paul was in prison and soon to be executed. He wrote to Timothy at a time the church was being persecuted and experiencing apostasy. Paul encouraged him to endure hardship and discharge all his ministry duties because of an eternal reward—the crown of righteousness.
Paul’s words encourage God’s children to finish the race. It’s a fight and requires perseverance.
What Application Looks Like
For years Linda has prayed for family members to accept Jesus but they have not. She perseveres and continues to pray.
Jenny worked years in a work environment where a performance measurement defined her success or failure. Now serving at her church she feels lost without a defined performance measurement to reward her for her success or point out failure. But she perseveres in her ministry work.
Pam seeks to have her words and actions reflect she follows Jesus. Sometimes during quiet reflection, she thinks, “Does it really matter? Is anyone noticing?” But she perseveres to live a righteous life.
These women persevere in their Kingdom work without crowds cheering or a medal.
What makes us run is God’s promise of an eternal reward and love for Jesus.
We Pray
We pray to persevere in our Kingdom work.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
LORD thank You for the assurance of an eternal reward because of our belief in Jesus Christ. Thank You that You see our faithfulness and love for You. Thank You that Your Word reveals saints who remained faithful and persevered to complete Your work.
We can grow weary with no reward for our Kingdom work. We question our ability to complete Your work by measuring our performance against the world’s standards. The world mocks us for toiling and running a race with no reward.
But that’s when You remind us to keep our eyes on the eternal reward and You. That’s why we pray…
We pray to rest in You when we’re weary.
We pray to spend time in the gospels to see that You, Jesus, didn’t work for temporal rewards.
We pray to seek the fellowship of other believers to encourage each other.
We pray to keep our eyes focused on You, Jesus.
We pray to finish the race and be faithful to You, Jesus, until the day You bring us home.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
A Question for Sisters
How can you transform a desire for the world’s temporal reward to Jesus’ eternal reward?