Theme: Mile 24

Verse: By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household. (Hebrews 11:7)

I’ve run hundreds of races over the years, everything from one milers to full marathons. Each one was the fun part of the running experience as it was the culmination of a training period in which lots of time and miles were dedicated to race day success.

On race day, you can only go with the preparation accomplished to that point. Coaches often refer to this as “Hay is in the Barn” which means the work has been completed.

In our spiritual lives what does “Hay in the Barn” look like?

Proverbs tells us to store up His Commands. Diving into His Word by spending time there regularly is a great way to do just that. Our routine ventures into the Word are to our spiritual journey just as training runs are to marathon (or whatever race) preparation. They are investments in the FUTURE rather than the present.

It might be easy to go through the motions during training, but doing so will show up on race day. When you get to Mile 24 (or 12 on the half marathon), it will become apparent to all if you have put forth the necessary training effort. It’s no fun being on the wrong side of that. Similarly, in our spiritual lives, you don’t want to get to “Mile 24” only to wish you has spent adequate time with Jesus and in the Word.

Examine yourself and assess how you will feel at your “Mile 24”? Will you have energy in the tank to finish the race strong?

Make the investment! Put sufficient “Hay in the Barn.” Your future depends on it.

Adapted from True Competitor by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page