In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul speaks:“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself” (vv. 24-27, MSG).
Paul emphasizes the importance of training and discipline, and his vivid description of running to win in life inspired me. I studied their preparation, their training techniques, their mental attitudes and the many diverse aspects of running, and I discovered the very principles foundation for running a marathon in the natural are equally applicable to running our spiritual race. We must train ourselves to be in this race to the end. It will not happen on its own especially when life brings extreme conditions against us. I believe that this year many of us have been in a faith race, we’ve felt as if time, circumstances and heartaches incessantly became the hurdles in our race to finish 2018 strong. But I want to challenge you to keep your composure and finish your race, you need to know that you have already won.
As time has passed, I’ve seen many people who started this faith adventure with us drop out of their race. The absence of disciplined training in their lives meant they didn’t have the spiritual stamina to keep going when the going got tough. Many people have been defeated by disappointment,discouragement, distraction, disillusionment or disease, and because of this,they’ve dropped out of the race. The following points will assist you in staying focus.
- You were created to run and winyour race.
- Do not focus on the resistance,focus on the finish.
- Your hope will sustain you in your journey, never lose your vision.
- Never compare yourself to anyoneelse’s race and how fast they finished.
- God is building your stamina.
- Before you give up count up theconsequences
- Quitting is never an option
The year is almost over and there are still promises that will happen for us. This race was designed for you to get your faith in shape for what’s coming next I want to encourage you that it is not over for you but your life is gaining momentum to end well. My prayer is that you do not focus on being the fastest runner but being the runner who finished with the victory.
“I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race,and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.” Ecclesiastes 9:11 NLT
