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For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. From now on, there is stored up for me the crown of righteousness' 2 Timothy 4:6 WEB

While having dinner with some friends of our family who happened to be avid runners, we listened to them talk about the marathons that they had completed across the country. After they told us about their last 26 mile run, I learned how to make him very angry by using only three words: Did you win?

Apparently you don't ask a marathon runner that question, and the husband took it as a serious insult. He was Chinese, and after uttering some language that I did not understand and probably didn't want to, he explained that finishing a marathon is your win.

You are competing against your own body, fatigue, the weather, and the clock. Everyone there has different bodies, skills, strengths, and finishing a 26-mile marathon at all is considered a victory. When he finished his thirty-minute speech, I agreed.

As Christians we are all in a marathon. Some people move faster than others. Some hold a slower pace. It does not matter. It is staying the course, completing 'your' race.

You are competing against your own body, its desires, weariness, and not against others. Take your time, set goals, and most importantly, if you fall, get up. No one finishes a marathon by laying on their face. Get up and keep putting one foot in front of the other one, and you will finish this marathon well just as Paul did.

'Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us' (Hebrews 12:1).

Prayer: Heavenly Father strengthen me today and make me steady in this race of life. Help me see the big picture of my life, and the hope that You have for me. Help me finish my race well, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Note: I am sorry for the delay of the devotional this morning. Our main web server has started randomly crashing and leaving no trace as to why. It will just suddenly hard freeze in the middle of the night without a warning. This was the 6th time in the last month that it has frozen. It is 8 years old and we have replaced hard drives in the past, but now it looks like we are going to have to replace the entire unit. If you value the daily word, please consider supporting us and help us get another one. - Dion.

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