God chose the course you are on, so He will carry you through, if you let Him.
My hubby and I were enjoying pool time with our 3 ½ year old grandson one Saturday. Josef said to me, “Lola, I want you to swim from this end to the 7 ½ feet wall,” pointing to the other end of the pool. To impress him, I did. And Josef shouted, “You did it! Great job, Lola!” He is learning the importance of encouragement and praise for a job well done!
How the World Defines Praise
Tim Tebow, a follower of Jesus Christ and a well-decorated former athlete, shared that the world wants us to praise everything. Tebow knows what praise really means because he constantly received it after dedicating years of his life training and playing professional football, becoming the recipient of two National Championships and a Heisman Trophy.
But the world defines how we should distribute praise differently. It’s about giving high fives and trophies to every single participant regardless of their contribution. Take for instance the San Antonio Spurs’ mascot’s championship rings that he brought to Goldin Auctions, a leader in the sports memorabilia industry. The mascot’s rings sold at a fairly good price. But for sure, the star player of the Spurs would have received an outrageous amount of money had he sold his same championship rings.
The Value of Praise
If you are a team leader, you are encouraged to acknowledge and say something remarkable you see in your teammates. Your words have the power to build and inspire that person to even greater things. It could be as simple as a handwritten note mentioning an excellent job or remembering to credit a good performance during the staff meeting. The claim that any employee who feels valued will be engaged, enthusiastic, and loyal is valid. It is always easy to thrive in an environment of praise.
Hebrews 11 focuses on praising the faithful. There was Abel, who offered his more acceptable sacrifice to God, and Noah who built an ark when no one in his time knew what rains and floods were about. There was Abraham who was called by God and packed up his household to go to the place that God would show him, and the time he was tested by God and asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. And there was Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt to bring them to God’s Promised Land. There were warriors like David, and prophets like Samuel, who became conquerors and God’s mouthpieces.
This chapter on the Hall of Faith Fame says, “…the people of old received their commendation” (v.2)—and they will continue to be spiritual GOATs as their names and their legacies will never be blotted out from the Great Book.
The Value of Hard Work
Tom Brady, retired quarterback, played 23 seasons in the National Football League. His career highlights include 7 Super Bowl championships, 5 Super Bowl MVPs, and 3 NFL Most Valuable Player awards, to name a few.
Brady understood and proved what it meant to keep on keeping on when he came out of his first retirement, six weeks after the announcement in February 2022. Surprising people with the reversal of his decision, he revived his football career. Impressing many with his longevity, Brady credited this to his disciplined diet and workout regimen. He proved to everyone that he wasn’t weary and was thriving in his strong personal performance as he pushed his limits.
His latest retirement was at the age of 45, considered old in his sport. Today, he is considered NFL’s GOAT—Greatest of All Time.
It’s interesting that our faith walk is likened to a sport—a race. If the 10,000 steps or 4 ½ miles of walking that people like to track for suggested optimum health is not regularly accomplished, how much more the discipline to train for a race as you subject yourself to constant training, exercise, and diet as you prepare? In our city, we have a fundraising event called the Dino Dash, where one can sign up for the 10K (or 6.2 miles). The signups are both serious and fun runners. The serious ones have been confidently running—fit and ready for it. The fun ones are there to support the event organizers and pace themselves while enjoying the camaraderie with friends.
Hebrews says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (12:1c). We can only accomplish this if we are strategic and have a structured plan in place.
How to Thrive without Growing Weary
The Apostle Paul reminds us: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Every trophy, championship ring, or medal awarded and received will be proudly displayed in recognition of the blood, sweat, and tears poured by that athlete into the discipline and training of his or her sport. The goal is to bring home the win.
First, “let us…lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely” (v.1b). Just like the runners who need lightweight and airy gear, it is wise for us to drop the heavy weights of temptation and sin that burden us so we can be more competitive in our spiritual “games”.
Second, “every athlete exercises self-control in all things” (1 Corinthians 9:25a). Athletes are careful about their food, their alcohol intake, if any, and rest—things that will affect their general health. Avoiding worldly traps, things that are not helpful to our spiritual growth, should be a priority. And even if they are present—we can’t really be free from them—we know that we can say “No” and even flee from them instead of indulging our desires.
Third, value rest. After a hard day of training, rest, especially sleep, is important. We need rest for vitality and strength in our spiritual race, and Jesus offers that: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10).
Fourth, “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2a). A runner looks at the tape at the finish line to be the first to break it or simply complete the race. Our race in faith started with Jesus and should end with Jesus, so we need to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23). If we keep our eyes on Him, we will avoid distractions that can slow us down or even tragically end our race.
Joining the Spiritual GOATs
The race prepared before us has been in place since the beginning of time, with the legacy of faith of those who came before us serving as our “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). This should inspire us to live well our own faith, looking to Jesus for encouragement and relying on God to carry us through the finish line.
Just like the Apostle Paul, the Hall of Faith Famers did not run aimlessly nor were they punching the air—many like to do such. They knew exactly what they were supposed to do and delivered…and finished strong in their races. They wanted to win the prize, so they never gave up despite the obstacles in their way.
If we are to emulate the spiritual GOATs, let us not grow weary but embrace the race that God has set before us. We are aiming for the same prize they did—the inheritance that will never fade or be destroyed. So, “it is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Hebrews 12:7-8). God chose the course you are on, so He will carry you through, if you let Him.
Can you see the end of your finish line? The moment you reach it, may you be able to declare these words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). And the Lord Himself, the righteous judge, will reward you as finish your course. You will receive the prize, the praise that is due to you—the crown of righteousness (v.8a). And along with that, you will have the privilege to count your name among the spiritual GOATs!
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/seksan Mongkhonkhamsao
Luisa Collopy is an author, speaker and a women’s Bible study teacher. She also produces Mula sa Puso (From the Heart) in Tagalog (her heart language), released on FEBC Philippines stations. Luisa loves spending time with her family over meals and karaoke!
