Why Walking with God is Essential Before Running the Race
By Dean Collins
There is nothing wrong with running for exercise. I read recently that about 50 million people in the U.S. run as a preferred way to exercise, and 661 million run worldwide. It's a great way to maintain cardiovascular health, manage weight, and burn off stress. But sometimes it might be better to simply walk. The same article said that about 50% of runners have an injury every year, often because they push themselves too hard.
In Colossians 2:6, Paul said that “just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” I am certain that Paul wasn’t against running. In fact, in 1 Corinthians, he made a reference to the disciplined and purposeful way runners train and race for the prize. And Isaiah says that believers can “run and not be weary” when we wait on the Lord.
As you consider Paul’s instructions in Colossians, it is clear that the apostle is telling us how we can mature in Christ. In other words, spiritual growth isn’t instant. It requires both intentionality and self-discipline.
Walk before you run
If we desire spiritual maturity, then we will likely need to do some walking before we finish our race. Typically, when we walk, we move more slowly than when we run. My suggestion is that in order to develop good spiritual disciplines, we will need to slow down some of our Scripture reading, meditation, and prayer time. It is easy to fall into the practice of speed reading or skimming Scripture or substituting quality time in the Scripture over quantity.
Sadly, it has been mostly in the last 10-12 years that I have begun to understand the importance of letting a passage of Scripture germinate. In my earlier years of faith, I didn’t think I had the time to slow down my reading. I was focused on quantity. There are some passages I look at dozens of times over a month and a few that I memorize and think about all year. This kind of “walking” through Scripture allows for roots to be formed and growth to happen.
The second benefit of “walking” with the Scripture is that it becomes a good defense against being duped or held captive by philosophies of the world which have no spiritual foundation. But if we don’t take time to meditate and pray over the Scripture, we are more easily deceived.
Paul’s running and boxing examples in 1 Corinthians help us to understand that our spiritual disciplines should not be random, but focused if we want to finish the race.
Every runner also walks
No one runs constantly. There are races and events that take all of our energy. But we also must have times where we slow down, rest, and heal before we move to the next event. I suspect that the better we get at walking in him through steady and deliberate practices of Scripture reading, meditation, and prayer, the more effective we are when the races or events of life present themselves.
Father, today we choose to slow down to allow your word and your spirit to deepen our roots and nourish our hearts and minds. We come to you with hearts of gratitude for your daily love, mercy, and grace. Slow us down that we might be more effective in sharing your love with those around us. In Jesus's name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Colossians 2:6-10; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
Photo by Steve Wiesner on Unsplash
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