"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." (Heb. 12:1-2)

Cheetahs survive the African plains by running down their prey. These big cats can sprint to more than seventy miles per hour, but they cannot sustain their fast pace for long. Within their long, sleek bodies are disproportionately small hearts, which cause them to tire quickly. Unless the cheetahs catch their prey in their first fast sprint, they will abandon their chase.

Sometimes Christians seem to have the cheetah's approach to serving the Lord. They speed into projects with great energy, but lacking the hearts for sustained effort, they soon fizzle out. Let us have great staying power - stamina that comes from big hearts - so that we can patiently run the race set before us.