How's Your Race?

Was reading in a book this morning about perseverance and what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7...I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

The Bible often compares life, especially the Christian life as a race. A race to be run. A race that is sometimes uphill and hard and in need of strength, endurance and determination to finish.

 



Sooo, how's your race? See so many people have great starts but lousy endings? It is not just important HOW you run the race. It is important that you FINISH the race on the course, also! So what if you run great for the first part and out do everyone else if you never make it to the finish line!? Some people cheat and take short cuts or quit.

First of all, to start the Christian race you must be saved. You must have come to a point in your life where you recognize that you are a sinner. If you ever sinned one time ever in your life then you are a sinner in need of saving. If you rob a bank only once, you are a bank robber. If you intentionally kill one person, you are a murderer. If you tell one lie ever, you are a liar and the Bible says all liars go to hell too. So you need to be saved from that wrath of God. However, Jesus came to earth to die and then raise from the dead after three days to conquer death for us. He died to pay the debt of sin you and I owe but he rose to give us victory over death and eternal life in heaven with Him if we believe on Him, accept His payment for our sin and ask Him to forgive us and save us. It is that simple. At that point you begin the race!

Will you sometimes fall during that race? Yep. But you get up, repent, confess it to God  and try to do better. You keep on going! Now, all races have a course to follow. God has a perfect and exact and individual course for every one of us. Some people's courses have more hills and valleys and loop da loops, some have waters to cross and pit falls and some have more smooth courses that go in twisty turns. His desire if for everyone's race to be a Christian race though he knows that some will not choose to enter that race. God wants us to "Stay the Course". He wants us to use His map (the Bible) to navigate the course. We learn about the map by reading it, studying it and listening to preaching and teaching from it so that we can better understand it.

So often people decide to veer from the course. Some even turn around and go back towards the starting line or never leave the starting line. They refuse to run the race thinking they can't and so they don't even try. Some quit the course and race all together. These are the ones who have lousy endings or finishes. They decide God's race is too much work, takes too much time or whatever and so they decide they want to leave the course God mapped out and do it their own way in life. The prize is the rewards you receive in heaven one of which may be hearing "Well done thou good and faithful servant". I want to hear that more than anything!

The Apostle Paul knew he was about to die for preaching the gospel. That is why he said he had finished the course. He had reached the point of death (the finish line) but he didn't just cross the finish line with dying he also kept the faith all the way to the finish line. That should be the goal of every Christian. Staying the course all the way to the finish line!

So run the race ... on the course God mapped ... that you may obtain.

Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,