What do we discover about God/Jesus in this passage?

- Jesus is both our champion (v. 2) and our bodyguard to ensure that we complete this course of faith.

- Jesus dismissed or scorned the monumental shame of the cross. Why? Because he looked right through it to us, his joy. We would be healed by his wounds. We would be dignified by his disgrace. We would be honored by his shame. 

- Our Father in heaven (of spirits v. 9) enrolls us in training/discipline to bring us to strength, character, and maturity. His paideia or discipline of us validates our status as his children.   

What do we discover about people/us here?

- We are vulnerable to weariness (v. 3) so we need to keep Jesus in full view.

- Hard times don't mean that God is angry with us, rather, He has great plans for us to grow and strengthen and thrive. 

- Discipline teaches us the power of delayed gratification since it is immediately unpleasant but later produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.

How then should we live?

- Our charge: consider carefully our champion Jesus. Get rid of every needless hindrance. Remove all sin. Embrace God's gift of discipline. Train for strength in our enduring faith. 

- For me, that means a fresh start to this race. I'll begin each day with a focus on Jesus, determined to live a "Jesus" day. To do that I'll purge the unnecessary weights/burdens so I can run with joy. And it's time to really confess and repent so that I can really unleash my stride for Him. Finally, I'll need to greet every challenge, every discomfort, every suffering, every disappointment as a chance to grow stronger.