But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:31

Scripture says that God is love and His kind of love never fails. Not only that, He’s perfect, everlasting and without beginning or end.  That means He doesn’t or can’t quit either.  In today’s message, may we take a look at the advantage that comes with an honest relationship with this awesome God Whom those who believe…call Father.

Growing up, athletics were my passion.  All sports were attractive and fine with me; both as a spectator or participant.  As a player or participant, my mother, was always my biggest and most loyal fan.  There was one funny story and a profound lesson to go with it that I’ll never forget. It was during my first attempt at running a half marathon in New Bedford, Massachusetts some forty-five years ago.

Not really prepared by training, pacing, strategy, or in knowledge of proper equipment, I naively set out over the city-wide course with a bunch of other runners on a very cool and blustery day in March.  When my mother got there to root me on, she positioned herself at the finish line.  Later, she told me she thought she arrived too late and that I must have won.  Why?  Because old women and children were crossing the finish line and she hadn’t seen any sign of me.

Well, for miles her “champion” was agonizing with side pains and trudging along with what seemed like hundred pound feet. Only one thought rattled in my mind — Don’t quit.  Praise the Lord, although people finished telescopic distance ahead of me, I finally made it alive without stopping or quitting. So where is the profound lesson?

From a real runner’s standpoint, one way to assess my performance (with old women and children whipping me) was that I was a dismal failure.  For me, it was more than that.  I won because I didn’t quit and that is the point of this story.

In a far more significant way, as we run our race over the course of life this week, we need God’s never-failing, never-quitting Holy Spirit to assist us in overcoming the stitches and heavy feet of personal challenges.  When we run with and for Almighty God, we win, and life’s regrets will never overtake our dreams.

Family and friends, remember, before you put on your running shoes, look up and know that with Him in your nature, you may fail here and there, but quitting isn’t in you.

1 Cor 9:24-27; Heb 12:1-2