I like to run.  And when I need to get away and think, I’ll go for long runs.  There is a 5 mile loop I try to run once or twice a week, if I have the time.  Just the other day, I went a total of 9 miles, walking some of the way of course.

But, no, running is not what I got on here to write about.  It’s the pattern I’ve noticed on days that I run distances– I can’t stop eating.  It’s actually rather annoying.  I’ll eat and eat and eat and still feel like I need to eat some more.  But as with other physical experiences God used this to bring to mind a corresponding spiritual lesson.  Our life as a “chosen people, a royal priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:9) is meant to be completely spent on Him who is our Lord and Savior.  When we spend our lives on Him we will crave the nourishment that His Word provides; we can’t help but do so because we’ve completely emptied ourselves in His work.  So just as I completely exhaust myself on long runs and so crave the food that my body can turn into energy, I need to crave the Word.  If I intend to live the entirety of each day serving the Lord (which I do), then I need to be feasting on the Scriptures that I might have the “energy,” the “nutrients,” to keep me alive and able to press on.

The Apostle Paul calls this life a “race” and a “fight” (2 Timothy 4:7).  Be battle ready and able to run.  Feast on the Word today and everyday.  Crave the Word like newborn babies do milk. (1 Peter 2:2)  It’s what will keep you going forward and upward in life.