January 2025 Devotional from Christian Union America's National Fast
By marcus buckley, vice president of development for christian union
"As for you brothers, do not grow weary in doing good."- 2 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV
Over twenty years ago I was recruited to be a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This may seem an odd situation in which a young pastor would find himself, but there I was. I wasn’t worried about the polygraph, the drug test, the background check, or any of the other myriad tests that stood before me and the start of training at Quantico.
I was worried about the required mile-and-a-half timed run, however. I had done some weightlifting in the gym over the years, so I was more than capable of hitting the required stats for the push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups that determined a candidate had the desired level of fitness required to be a federal agent. The run was something different, something intimidating. I was not a runner, never had been, and frankly, I had no real desire to become one. The standards spelled out in black ink on the crisp white pages stated that this reality would have to change, and so I looked to my wife, Lea Ann, for desperately needed assistance. She had been a track star in high school, so I thought she could help me after my first couple of efforts at the tracks left me winded and discouraged.
She taught me that there are a number of factors that result in running well: stride length, pace, and breathing techniques are all important. Good shoes certainly would help matters as well. There was one thing in particular she said that changed everything: “Running well is a decision. It’s a mental switch you have to flip. When your body says, "I’m tired," your brain says, "It doesn’t matter. Keep running."
I was out the door every morning for a year by 6:30 am, running between four and five miles. At first, it was a struggle, and my body won more arguments than my mind did during that first week. As the days passed, however, I began to really understand what Lea Ann was telling me. I was 29 years old and in decent shape; running wasn’t going to kill me. It might be unpleasant in the moment, but I wasn’t at the point of exhaustion. I could keep going. There would be times I didn’t want to, but I was certainly able to do it.
It didn’t take long for my mind to begin winning the argument. Not only did I not grow weary as I ran, I actually got stronger and faster. Even more amazing was the fact that the more I ran, the more I wanted to run. There were even some days when I didn’t want to stop running at all, and I felt like I could just keep running forever.
I didn’t join the Bureau (though I did write a couple of novels about a young pastor who followed that path), but I learned an invaluable lesson: weariness is optional. There were days that the run was hard, to be certain, but I was still able to complete it. I had the ability to push through discomfort and discouragement to reach my goal. I had to decide that weariness was not an option for me.
Weariness is optional for the believer as well. As we face the increasing darkness of living in a fallen age, we know that things will continue to worsen until the day Jesus returns. We are called to fight the good fight (1 Corinthians 9:26) and run like we want to win (1 Cor. 9:24), and the Lord does not call us to anything for which He does not equip us (Philippians 4:13). The Lord does not grow weary, and neither do those who rely upon Him (Isaiah 40:28-31).
Keep running, believer.
Father, we thank You that we have all we need in You. Thank you that Jesus has purchased our redemption by His blood, and that we who repent of our sin and place our trust in Jesus are indwelt and empowered by the same Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the grave. May we never choose weariness, but rather may we choose the power that comes only from and through You. In Jesus' matchless name we pray. Amen.
