The epistle readings for the three-year lectionary often focus over a period of weeks on a single New Testament letter. Earlier this summer you may have noted that selections from Galatians were read. Colossians, Philemon, and 1 and 2 Timothy will also be read in the coming months. Toward the end of August, the readings will come from the concluding chapters of the letter to the Hebrews. The following devotion is based on those readings.
Life is often difficult.
We encounter disappointment and heartache. Members of our family and people within our circle of friends experience tragedy. Our faith is repeatedly tempted by the bad example of the world around us, by the selfish desires of our own sinful flesh, and by the spiritual assaults of Satan. These are among the things that make life difficult and burdensome, things by which we are repeatedly reminded that the race of faith is not a sprint, but a marathon. It's a race of endurance in which we, by God's grace, seek to be faithful unto death.