Ready, Set, Run! – July 1, 2026

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But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Ready, Set, Run!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is so simple. One of the first sports anyone plays. At the playground, in the backyard, over at the neighborhood park. “I’ll race you! Ready, set, go!” Some people, many adults, continue to play this game and are willing to pay money to race with hundreds and thousands of people for distances far longer than to the swing set or across the park. In any race of any distance, to win, you gotta run fast, keep your eyes on the goal and never give up—even when you’re tired.

In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul tells us to “flee” from things like greed and selfishness. The word “flee” means to run away as fast as you can. If you saw a skunk with its tail up or a swarm of angry bees coming your way, you probably wouldn’t walk away—you’d run!

But Paul doesn’t just want us to run away from bad things; he wants us to run toward the good stuff. He tells us to pursue things like righteousness, godliness, and love. The word “pursue” means to chase after something. So, Paul is saying, “Run away from sin, and run toward the things God loves.”

Sometimes, living as a Christian can feel like a long race. We know how hard it is to be kind and loving when someone seems to be mean to you. We know the struggle of remaining patient when we really want something right now. And these struggles are part of every day, far more than just a few times in our day. Paul calls this the “good fight of the faith.” It’s a fight because our sinful nature always wants us to go the wrong way or simply give up.

But here is the best part: You are never running this race alone. God has promised to be with us to strengthen us and help us. We know how hard it can be to tell the truth when a lie seems easier. We know how hard it can be to share when we want something all for ourselves. When it comes to winning the prize, God has already given you the prize! Jesus’ resurrection means all our enemies have been defeated. He has won the victory over sin, death, and the devil. Because of him, your sins are forgiven, and you have the gift of eternal life. The victory is yours.

Imagine entering a race and finding out that the prize already belongs to you before the race even starts. That’s what Jesus has done for us. We don’t run so that God will love us. We run because he already loves us and has already saved us.

When you feel tired or distracted, look at Jesus. Remember his promises from favorite Bible passages. Remember the good news of great joy you heard in worship this last week. Jesus is the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” He gives you the strength to keep running, to keep loving others, and to keep “fighting the good fight” until the day we stand in victory with him in heaven.

So today . . . Ready. Set. Run! Run away from sin and run toward Jesus!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for winning the victory for me through Jesus. Help me to run away from things that hurt others and run toward the things that please you. Give me strength to continue fighting the good fight of faith today. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What does it mean “to flee” from something?
• What does it mean “to pursue” something?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Paul calls living our faith a fight. Is it a fight against someone else or something else? Who or what are we fighting?
• Even in a large race usually only a few top finishers receive a prize. How does knowing Jesus has already won the prize make our days easier when things are hard?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Take some time to discuss the difference between righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Which is easiest to understand? Which one is hardest?
• King of kings and Lord of lords. The almighty God is on our side and he deeply loves us. How does this help us in the way we act in the constant fight of faith?

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