Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.  My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.  Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

Hebrews 12:1b-3
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

2 Timothy 4:7
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Mighty God, your presence is our ultimate goal and only resource.

We have pursued trophies as insubstantial as the breeze.  The chase has wearied our hearts.

Be our focus to ensure we run the race with consistent purpose.  Lay a course before us that finishes only to begin a new and everlasting joy.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who persevered through pain because he prized us as his reward.

Listen to ‘Higher Ground’ by the Hymn Remix Project