Acts 13:1-3 | a Long ObedienceSample

Going the Distance

An Iron Man Triathlon is a grueling 140.6-mile race that is made up of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run (a full marathon). These elite athletes train for months and months to prepare themselves. They say that during the race, it isn’t just the physical stamina that’s an issue; the mental endurance is just as important. To keep themselves in the race, athletes will bargain with their brains: “Just one more mile before we can quit.” And when that mile passes, they repeat it again. “Just one more mile and we can quit,” again and again until they finish.

Paul and Barnabas had traveled together before, spreading the gospel. Now we find them called to go out again. It wouldn’t be an easy road, but they trained through repeated acts of obedience. They had the experience to finish this call. They would travel to areas where they weren’t welcome, but they pushed through one mile at a time and changed history.

When we submit our lives to God, there will be times when the next step seems so difficult that our minds and bodies will just tell us to quit. If you are at that point, “Just one more mile…” Take the next step of obedience, and the next, and the next until you have gone the distance.