Go the Distance - Greg Laurie Devotion - December 31, 2025

Audio By Carbonatix

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14 nlt)

New Year’s resolutions are funny things. We dream up grand lifestyle changes and tell ourselves “Ok, everything will be different on January 1st!” But the truth is, many of us adjust our New Year’s resolutions as time passes because we’re unable to keep them. Year after year, we get frustrated and discouraged by our lack of willpower, discipline, and commitment. But there’s a lesson in there that we must not miss. We don’t need a New Year’s resolution. We need a spiritual solution.

The spiritual solution we need is found in Philippians 3:14: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (nlt). In this passage, the apostle Paul helps us understand what our priorities should be.

On more than one occasion, Paul used athletic metaphors to describe the Christian life. In this passage, he compares it to running a race. But we need to understand that the race is not a one-hundred-meter sprint. It’s a long-distance run. That’s why we must pace ourselves.

In a long-distance race, there’s little significance in leading the field for, say, nine out of ten laps. What matters is the tenth lap. Whoever crosses the finish line first is the winner. 

Spiritually speaking, finishing strong involves being consistent. There are times in our relationship with Christ when everything seems to click—when our prayer life, Bible study, evangelism, and personal discipline are firing on all cylinders. With the wind at our back, we start to feel unbeatable. So, we alter our pace. We let pride dictate our strategy.

And then we hit the wall, metaphorically speaking. We struggle to maintain any kind of pace. On top of that, we have a spiritual enemy who delights in turning our race into a hurdles event by throwing obstacles in our way.

The good news is that the headwind, like the wind at our back, is temporary. We don’t have to face it long. The obstacles our enemy throws in our path need not affect us because we’re powered by the Holy Spirit. He gives us the stamina we need to stay the course. Our job is to stay focused on the race—to keep our eyes on the prize. We need to strive for spiritual consistency. If we want to win in the race of life, then we need to learn to pace ourselves.

Reflection question: How can you pace yourself in your walk with Christ?

Copyright © 2025 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Jacob Lund

Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

Now available on DVD, House of David is a cinematic retelling of one of the Bible’s most compelling stories. With stunning visuals and bold storytelling, this series follows David’s journey from shepherd to king. Great for family viewing, small groups, or as a gospel-centered gift. Request the complete Season 1 DVD set with your donation today.

Click here to find out more!