Hebrews 12.1-3 asks, Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the

way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! MSG

The key to finishing well in this Christian life is to stay focused on the eternal life to come. They key to finishing well in this Christian life is not to focus on comfort, ease, and accomplishment in this world but to focus on receiving God’s praise, approval, and reward in the next world. Difficulty from serving God, persecution from men for acknowledging Jesus, suffering for conviction of God’s truth, are badges of honor, are means for making us like Jesus, and are proof that we are in Him and He is in us.

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