There is a reason that the Scriptures call the Christian life a race (1 Cor. 9:24 and 2 Tim. 4:7). Races require preparation and endurance, but more than that they require a knowledge of the prize. In the Bible that which motivates us to run the race is that which we already possess and will yet possess in complete fullness. As Thomas Schreiner and Ardel Caneday wrote,

“By faith we run the distance that lies between the now and the not yet. By faith we now lay hold of God’s word of promise, namely, the gospel, and reach beyond what can now be seen, in order that after we have done all that delights God, we will receive what his gospel promises us” (Thomas Schreiner & Ardel Caneday, The Race Set Before Us[Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2001], 96).

The Christian life is a hard race. It is often a long race. It is always an exhausting race, but it is a race worth running. Christian, you may feel tired and weary at the end of each day (and I think that is to be expected), but always remember that you are receiving and will one day soon, fully and finally receive what his gospel promises – perfect and immediate (unmediated) communion with the Lord Jesus Christ.