Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars
- Les Brown
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
Every year, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, thousands of runners gather at the Living History Farm in Urbandale, Iowa for the largest cross-country run in the country. Each one of the runners has a goal. Some are there to compete and win the race. Many are there to have fun and enjoy the challenge. My goal is to survive.
In a limited way, the Living History Farms race is a picture of the larger race of life. There are many serious people who run the race of life to win. There are a number who live all of their lives in survival mode. There are a large number of people who just want to have fun. As Christians we know that this race of life is not just a 70 or 80 year endurance run. We know that it is a race for eternity. How we run the race does matter. The decisions we make along the way will affect us personally, as well as other people, for all of eternity. This is a race that ebbs and flows, it has seasons, and it changes course. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is probably the best summary of the race of life.
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”
As we weave our way through the seasons of life, we need to keep our eyes on the goal and strive for the prize. Every good runner has a strategy for how he or she will run the race before them. When it comes to the race of life, the Apostle Paul gives us a three-part strategy for how we should run.
Paul tells us to run the race of life with purpose. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul writes, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
Most coaches, from time to time, have to deal with an athlete who is less than committed to the team. We see them at all levels of athletic competition. This kind of athlete has gotten the idea that he is a star and therefore should be the center of attention. They compete for their own glory. A good coach, when he becomes aware that this attitude is creeping in, will pull the athlete aside and confront the issue. He will challenge the athlete with an important question. “Why are you on this team?”
Sometimes as followers of Christ we lose our focus. We begin to believe that the Christian life is all about us. It is about getting what I want in life and eliminating the things I don’t want. This attitude can creep into our lives so subtly that we don’t recognize it at first. So it is important from time to time for us to stop and ask ourselves the question, “Why am I a follower of Jesus Christ?”
Paul was concerned that people understand what being a follower of Jesus is all about. To help us understand the race before us Paul draws an illustration from the world of athletic competition. In the ancient world there were two major athletic competitions. The first was the Olympic games held in Rome and the second was the Isthmian games held in Corinth. The people to whom Paul was writing would have been very familiar with the Isthmian games, just as we are familiar with the Olympic Games. .
Paul reminded his readers that a race is run for a purpose. All of the runners are striving for the same goal, to win the prize. Every runner knows that only one will win the prize. Yet they give everything that they have. No one runs in the Olympics just to run. They give their best. Each one runs with the hope of winning the prize. Each runner strives and pushes and strains toward the goal with every ounce of energy they have.
Paul challenges us to live the Christian life with that same intensity. We are involved in a spiritual competition with eternal consequences. Just like no Olympic athlete would intentionally jog through their race, so we should not jog through ours either. Living the Christian life takes effort and intentionality. It requires that we keep our focus as we run.
One thing that helps an athlete do their best is having a winning attitude. If an athlete believes he or she can win they will play with greater intensity and determination. As we run the race that is the Christian life, having a winning attitude will make a big difference. Sometimes we forget that being a Christian is more than just waiting for eternity. We are not here to mark time but to give our best for Christ and His kingdom.
Every athlete who aspires to compete in the Olympics knows that it takes maximum effort to get there. Before an athlete can compete in the Olympics he or she must compete in many preliminary races. Each race is important. Each race is a stepping stone toward the goal. At each level of competition the runner must prove himself. He must qualify for the next competition. As he or she masters each level they take one step closer to their goal.
Paul challenges us to give our best effort to achieve God’s goals. As we progress in our spiritual journey there are many races to be run and many prizes to be won. Like a determined athlete we need to strive to win the prize at each level of the journey. Let me suggest three ways we can advance in our overall journey of faith.
First, strive to grow in your relationship with Christ. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he expressed his desire that they would grow deep and strong in their relationship with Christ. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV)
Many believers in Christ begin their race with enthusiasm but fail to make significant progress. Their desire to follow Christ is genuine. They genuinely bow their knees to Him as Savior. But when the gun sounds they stay at the starting line.
Recently I participated in the Living History Farms Race. There were over 6,000 runners gathered at the starting area. The atmosphere was charged with excitement and enthusiasm. When the gun sounded all of the runners surged forward. But there was another group of people gathered at the starting line. When the gun sounded they cheered, but they didn’t move. We call them spectators. Too many Christians chose to be spiritual spectators. They cheer on those who are growing in their faith, but they stay at the starting line.
Like any relationship, our relationship with Christ takes effort to develop. It is not enough to be satisfied with initial introductions. If we want to grow in our faith then we have to work on our relationship with Christ. This is called discipleship. Discipleship is not the next step for those who want to be more serious about their faith. Discipleship is the expected pathway of all believers. When the gun sounds God expects us to strive to get to know Christ better and better. Just like with any relationship this takes time and effort. At first we get to know the basics, but as our relationship progresses we can go deeper and deeper. Growing in our relationship with Christ is one of the most exciting things that we can do. It is a real, personal relationship that we can experience right now. We don’t have to wait until eternity to experience it.
Second, strive to help others discover Jesus. One of Jesus’ clearest expectations of those who follow Him is that we would invite others to join us in the race. Before Jesus physically left His disciples for the last time He gave them these words of instruction. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)
All three of my children have run cross-country in school. One of the things that I have found fascinating and encouraging about cross-country is that it is a very inclusive sport. Everyone gets to run in the race. There are no bench players in cross-country. In addition, cross-country runners are great advocates for their sport. There is always room for one more. You could say that they are evangelists for cross-country.
Jesus commanded us to invite others into the spiritual race. He wants us to be positive advocates for the journey of faith. A witness is someone who tells what they have seen, heard or experienced. Jesus said that we would be His witnesses. Wherever we go we demonstrate what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Our example can be either positive or negative. The more enthusiastic we are about our faith the more attractive our faith will be to others. No one wants to join a team where the other players are less than enthusiastic.
As witnesses for Christ we invite others to join us on the journey. We don’t just invite people to run the race of faith, but to run the race with us. Another thing I like about cross-country is how the runners help each other. They encourage each other along the way. The older, more experienced runners help orient and train the younger, less experienced runners. That is the image that Jesus gives us of making disciples. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)
When we invite others into the journey of faith we come along side of them, helping them to grow in their faith. We intentionally incorporate them into the fellowship of believers, helping them get oriented to this new life. Then we instruct them about how to run the race. It is a cooperative effort as we encourage one another to do our best.
Jesus has not asked us to make disciples on our own. He has given us the Holy Spirit as our coach and guide. Every athlete has learned to depend on his or her coach for guidance. A good coach can see things that the athlete might miss. A good coach brings years of experience, training and expertise to the table. A wise athlete learns to listen to the coach. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would coach us through the process of making disciples. We invite others onto the journey by the authority of Christ and through the power of the Spirit.
Third, strive to bring glory to God through your actions. Peter reminds us that how we run the race matters. “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12 NIV)
It has often been said, actions speak louder than words. This is nowhere more true than on the journey of faith. Most people do not care about our doctrine. They want to know what difference our faith makes in our everyday lives. The way we live our lives either confirms or denies what we say we believe. Martin Luther is credited with this profound statement. “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words.”
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