What are you doing to keep our world safe? For the last year I have been training my attack dog (Ruffels) to find “drugs”. I do that by hiding his allergy medication (drugs) in a piece of hotdog sausage.

God never expected us to train our dogs to “enter the Christian race”. Instead, He wants us to personally get involved. For this reason, after presenting us with a host of heroes to imitate (Hebrews 11), we are asked to consider His Son’s example. By fixing our eyes on Jesus we will see the start and finish of our faith. We will see how He endured the cross by focusing on the joy that would be His. As a result, He is now at God’s right hand.

Friend, how can you know if you are running the Christian Race correctly? Simple … we are given three commands to follow (Hebrews 12:14–15):

1. Strive for “peace with everyone”.

2. Strive for “holiness” (we can’t see the Lord without it).

3. Keep out the troubling and defiling “root of bitterness”.

With the command, “find it”, Ruffels always starts enthusiastically, but after five minutes he looks to me for help. When this is not forth coming his nose starts to work – and soon he finds the prize.

Friend, God has given us everything we need. The world would be a safer place if all Christians were actively striving for the prize.