I used to run a lot. I was never fast, but I loved pretending I was. I would go to the local high school track and do a workout that involved fast (for me!) short intervals. I enjoyed accelerating around the curve and would pump myself up by imagining I was Allyson Felix in the Olympic 200 meter race. My watch told me the truth that I was actually twice as slow as Allyson, but for that brief moment on the curve, heading into the straightaway and on to the finish of the interval, my imagination helped my legs to turn over quicker.

In letters to his friends and parishioners, Samuel Rutherford often reminded them of the time. Like Paul to the Romans, he emphasized that “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11) How then shall we live? The Bible uses metaphors to speak of the life of faith. We walk with God (see Galatians 5:16 and Colossians 2:6-7), but we also are called to run (see Galatians 5:7 and Hebrews 12:1-2). In a letter to one of his elders, Rutherford encourages him to run fast, knowing what time it is.

Love heaven; let your heart be on it. Up, up, and visit the new Land and view the fair City, and the white Throne, and the Lamb, the bride’s Husband in His Bridegroom’s clothes, sitting on it. It were time that your soul cast itself, and all your burdens, upon Christ. I beseech you by the wounds of your Redeemer, and by your compearance before Him, and by the salvation of your soul, lose no more time; run fast, for it is late. God hath sworn by Himself, who made the world and time, that time shall be no more (Rev. x. 6). Ye are now upon the very border of the other life.

We don’t know exactly how much time we have left in our short lives. The Lord has determined all our days. And we don’t know how long it will be before Christ returns. But if we woke up this morning we are all one day closer to seeing him. Our life with the Lord is a walk, but as we get closer, as we come around that curve and see the finish line, we can all pick up our knees, and pump our arms, running faster until we cross over to that new Land, our forever home with Christ.