Our Christian walk is likened to a long-haul journey. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Unlike a sprint, which is mostly physical, a marathon run, is both physical and mental. They key requirement of a marathon run is endurance. Although tiring and exhausting, a marathon runner continues running as long as he has not touched the finish line. Because if he stops, it will require extraordinary efforts to pick himself up to run again as he has lost the momentum he had gained. Therefore, an accomplished marathon runner never stops.
Our walk with God, which is our relationship and communion with Him (loving God), and our Christian service, which is our relationship and communion with the body (loving men) cannot stop too. There is no taking a break from God in order to do some other thing, the same way as there is no taking a break from a marriage with your spouse in order to be ‘out of marriage’ to do some other stuff. If you are married, you will remain married until divorce.
Our Christian life is to be so intricately woven with Christ to the extent that our thoughts, words and actions are to flow from only one source, and that is the source of all life, Jesus Christ.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave us the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity to be our Helper. A helper can only help a person when he consents to be helped and willingly submits to the helper, otherwise no help can he rendered.
When we allow ourselves to be willing participant of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He will be involved in everything we say and do. He will be our master and He will help us to experience what an abundant and exhilarating life is.
He will give us strength to overcome all the adversities of life that is a result of this broken world. He will help us to ‘press on’, just as a marathon runner press on in order to reach the finishing line. Paul said in his letter to the Philippi saints, ‘I press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ …’forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead’ (Phil 3:13,14)
Wherever we are in our Christian walk, whatever mistakes we have made, it does not matter to God anymore for He had already redeemed us. What we need to do now is to not let your past constrain or restrain us. Our mistakes or errors in the past do not define our future, for God has given us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11). Let us, like Paul, press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.