Articles
Running the Race
In the days of the apostle Paul, athletics were about as big as they are today, the only difference being the amount of money the athletes were paid. Back then, some were recruited to perform in athletics whether they wanted to or not and were paid in wreaths made of branches. But Paul, being familiar with this and knowing his audience was, too, used the picture of the competing athlete as an illustration of the Christian life. To those in Corinth, he wrote, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:24-27).
He used knowledge of the runner in a race to urge the brethren to run the race of faith in such a way as to obtain the prize. He further illustrated the Christian life by showing that self-discipline is needed that we are not disqualified.
Paul uses this illustration to remind us that we, too, are in a race, except this race is for eternity, not some temporary reward or acknowledgment. The race we are in is a race for our spiritual life! How we run and how we finish will determine our eternal destination! Friends, that is an important race! To take this race lightly, to ignore the very fact, or to fail to prepare properly for this race will render us as unfit, inefficient, or just plain incompetent runners. May it never be! How can we be a model runner?
Train. One of the most important facts of being a runner is that he trains in such a way that his physical body is in peak condition. He eats the right foods, exercises to gain strength and endurance, and then gets out and practices in the field in which he desires to compete. The Christian should follow this pattern, being diligent to show ourselves spiritually approved of God by rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15) and then going out and practicing what we preach! What good would it have done the apostles to have received the inspired word of God, never to take it out to the lost and dying world!?! So must we leave the confines of our "practice field" [the meeting house] and go out and put our training to work.
Exercise. But the model runner also knows physical exercise is important because it tones the body to be able to endure the race. So it is with the spiritual body, too. When we exercise ourselves to godliness (1 Tim. 4:8), we will be ready for the day that we must put that training to use and we will be able to discern between good and evil (Heb. 5:12-14). Lacking the proper training, we will not be able to withstand those who work hard to cause us to lose the race and lose even our interest in running. Exercise of the spirit will give us the strength and endurance we need to win.
Self-Discipline. In Paul's words, he noted that he would “discipline [his] body” (1 Cor. 9:27). The earthly runner controls himself to ensure he is able to participate in the race. Again, this should be the case with the spiritual runner. It is a true benefit to have someone "running" with us in our race, but we may not always have someone nearby when it is time to run the race, and that is where self-discipline comes in. If we lack the discipline to tell ourselves to get out there and run the race, at some point, we will tail off on our training and running, and we will eventually either be unfit or we will drop out entirely.
Follow The Rules. The earthly runner has to run in such a way as to not to be disqualified (2 Tim. 2:5). It would be disheartening to train so hard, only to find out that we have been doing it wrong all the whole time and we have disqualified ourselves from the race. As Christians, we should also be careful to follow the guidelines our Lawgiver has laid down for our race. We cannot arbitrarily decide which rules are proper and which ones are "fair" or which ones we want to follow. That doesn't work in athletics and it certainly won't work with your spiritual standing before God.
Run. Any good runner will tell you that all the training in the world will prove nothing until he puts all his training into practice. He is not a runner unless he runs! And so it is with the Christian, too. We cannot just sit back, talking about our faith and telling ourselves we're pretty good people. Where is the proof? How will the world believe we are children of God and runners in the race for eternity if we never prove it to them? We must be always ready to give an answer for that hope within us (1 Pet. 3:15), and we must be doers of the word to be called true disciples (Jas. 1:22). What we say means little or nothing until we run the race!
Now, having said all this, what must we know about this "race" in which we run?
It Has A Set Distance. Once the race is completed, no one can walk up to the officials and say, "I wasn't ready," expecting that it will be done all over just for his sake. And regarding the spiritual race, there are also no "second chances" after this life. We all will die and will all face judgment (Heb. 9:27). The race is now!
We Have A Pre-Determined Goal. The earthly runner who competes well has his eyes fixed on the goal of the race — the finish line. As disciples, our goal is to please God (2 Cor. 5:9). The runner is not concerned with what he has already done, but what lies ahead. For our spiritual race, we, too, must not concern ourselves with what is behind us, but fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:3) and set our mind where He is. In our efforts, we must in all things make it our aim to be pleasing to the Lord, for that is the only way we will be crowned in the end.
There Are Rules To Follow. As we have already stated, there are rules we must follow as a runner. The psalmist said it well when he said to the Lord: “I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart” (Psa. 119:32). The rules he would follow were those set down by the only one who has the right! For us, it is the will of the Father we must obey (Matt. 7:21).
There Are Obstacles In The Path. In some competitions, there are obstacles (hurdles) to be overcome in order to finish and win the race. So it is with the Christian's race. There are many harmful practices that are enticing and distracting, but we should know the real end. There will be persecutions (1 Pet. 4:12-16), but there will also be comforts and the riches and cares of this world to distract us (Matt. 13:22).
With these things known, what will enable us to win?
A Mind Set To Finish. Paul said we must run in such a way to obtain the prize (1 Cor. 9:24), and that means we must finish. To do this, the runner must have his mind set on that very goal: finishing. There is no prize for quitting!
Avoiding Distractions. To finish the race and to win, we must avoid those things that distract us from the final goal and that hinder us from competing as we should.
In the end, we have a promised reward when we finish the race (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7, 8), but we must run to win and we must finish the race. Are you in? —— Steven Harper
