Crossing the Finish Line

January 13, 2026

A compilation

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.—Hebrews 12:1

What kind of race do believers run? … The “race” is the Christian life. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we are called to stay the course and remain faithful to the end. Paul used this same imagery near the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). …

The race is “set before us”; we did not select the course, for it is God who established it. This race we run for Christ. We stay the course in spite of trials and persecutions (Hebrews 12:4–11). As we run, we must “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Because He perfectly finished His race, He is the focus of our lives. We look away from all distractions because He is already at the finish line. …

No matter how long the race may be, we keep our eyes on Jesus, “the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). There is joy awaiting. In the words of songwriters Twila and Starla Paris, “Runner, when the race is won, you will run into His arms.”—GotQuestions.org¹

Finishing well

In Acts 20, the apostle Paul talked about finishing the race of life well. He said, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

When we’re young, we may think that we’re just starting our race. But we don’t know how long our lives will be. That is why we want to run the race of life well. And the objective is to finish well too.

In the New King James Version of this verse, Paul says that he wants to finish his race “with joy.” Some Christians have lost their joy. They may have started off their race with joy, but then something happened to them. Maybe they lost interest in the things of God or other things crowded out their relationship with the Lord. … They need to pray, like the psalmist David, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you” (Psalm 51:12).

For the Christian, the race of life is not a sprint; it’s a long-distance run.

As Hebrews encourages us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2). …

Here’s how to run the race well and finish it well: Run it for Jesus. Don’t run it for people. Don’t run it out of mere duty. You have an audience of one. Jesus Christ Himself is watching you. So run for Him. Don’t just start your race well. Finish it well. And finish it with joy.—Greg Laurie²

The goal

The race of faith has one goal: to be with Jesus Christ in his glory. Let us not be stopped or delayed by anything that could interfere with this race: difficulties, worries, and sin. There will be moments where we are fighting worry, anxiety, stress, sickness, or spiritual warfare. It is in those moments that we use God’s Word to fight back with all the promises that God has given to us (Matthew 16:19).

God’s desire is that we all finish the race of faith; he equips and sustains us so that we can achieve our final destination, to cross the finish line to be forever in His presence.—Abner Galvan³

A pilgrim’s journey

My favorite railway in the world is Australia’s Indian Pacific. The line runs between Sydney on the east coast to Perth on the west coast, traversing a whole continent and connecting two oceans, the Pacific and the Indian. It spans a distance of 4,352 kilometers (2,704 miles) and crosses three time zones.

For most of the 65-hour journey, the train travels through some of the most rugged and barren landscapes in the world. One section crosses the Nullarbor Plain, which is an arid, treeless plain with a moon-like landscape.—Nothing but parched, infertile limestone soil surrounds the track and stretches endlessly into the horizon. For one stretch of 478 kilometers (297 miles) there are no bends at all in the line; it is the longest stretch of straight railway track in the world.

After a seemingly endless journey, the train reaches its final destination—the city of Perth. It feels like arriving in another world altogether. Seeing the wealth of the city, glittering buildings, parks and open spaces, a river flowing into the sea, it is hard to believe that just a little while before we only saw dust and scrub all around us. We arrive at a shining new city, but only after a seemingly endless stretch of vast emptiness.

What an analogy of the Christian’s journey! As a pilgrim passing through this transitory world, we will face stretches of difficult terrain and at times even inhospitable conditions. And yet, we are called to press on and continue walking the path God has prepared for us, just as that train travels across the straight track laid out for it. Aided by God’s Spirit, we can pass through the desert of this world in the peace and comfort He gives.

A shining new city also awaits us at the end of our journey—a city not built by the hands of men, but by God the Creator Himself. As Revelation 21 describes, it is a city unlike any on earth, prepared for His own children who love Him and abide in His love; a city in which, unlike the cities of men, goodness dwells and evil cannot enter; a city where we shall leave the heat, dust, and scrub of this world behind us. “The former troubles are forgotten … and shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:16–17).—Uday Paul

Stay in the race

The movie Rudy tells the story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, whose only dream was to play football at Notre Dame—even though he didn’t have the grades to get into the college or the football skills to make the team. And yet, through persistence, hard work, and endurance, he managed to join the team as a walk-on and suit up for the last game of the 1975 season.

In the mostly fictionalized ending of the movie, for the last play of the game, the players on the sideline start chanting his name until the whole stadium takes it up: “Rudy, Rudy, Rudy!” And Rudy is carried off the field by his teammates to wild cheering and clapping and chants of his name. 

It’s an incredible scene. But it’s nothing compared to the reception you are going to receive one day when you complete your race and cross the finish line into eternity to the applause of heaven. Just imagine Jesus greeting you, and all the saints cheering your name.

You ought to be living for the applause of heaven, because that’s what’s going to matter for eternity. One day you will have the thrill of standing before God, your Creator, and having him say something like, “You did it! You finished the race. You didn’t get sidetracked or drop out. Well done. Let’s celebrate for eternity.”

The apostle Paul anticipated that reward. In 2 Timothy 4:7–8 he says, “I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day—and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.”

Maybe you accepted Christ and started your race strong, but you have drifted into apathy. You’ve gotten sidetracked or wounded or discouraged. Don’t wait another day to get back in the race. Start by saying this prayer to God:

“Dear God, I don’t want to sit on the sidelines for the rest of my life. I want to finish the race that you put me on earth for. Help me to stay focused on eternity and the rewards that lie ahead. I want to live for your eternal purposes and make the rest of my life the best of my life. Please help me to finish well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”—Rick Warren⁴

Published on Anchor January 2026. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Dooley.

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