One of the illustrations that I really like from Scripture, particularly Paul’s letters, is the illustration of running a race. In fact, there are 5 clear places in the Bible where this illustration is used, and I think it’s a very easy to understand illustration which is great for probably most of us because sometimes we need things explained to us like you would a child. So, I like the illustration of running a race.
In all the Scriptures about running a race, one thing is clear, the race is LIFE. So, it’s something we all run. We all go through life. We all have life. It’s something we experience every day, with a multitude of different kinds of experiences. Even if you were to just sleep all day and night and never really do anything other than sleep and feed yourself, that’s still life, life is happening and you are living it, regardless of what happens or what you chose to make of it.
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to read the first of five passages about running the race of life. “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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (NIV)
So, here’s what the hard truth about life is: not all will “win”. We all will finish, yes, but not all will “win” at life. Yes, there is a way to do life well, a way to have a good life, but not all will do it. Paul in these verses talks about a crown that the winner will receive. It’s a victory crown, meant only for winners. So if not everyone will win the race of life, then that means that not everyone will receive the crown given only to winners. Only some will receive a crown. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? Maybe not. But the good thing about winning the race of life is that you can choose to win! It’s not just a game of chance or luck. There is a sure-fire way of winning that is fail-proof!
Here’s another passage about running the race of life, from Galatians 5:7-8, “You were running a good race. Who has kept you from obeying the truth? 8 The God who chooses you does not keep you from obeying the truth.” (NIRV)
Here Paul lovingly reproached the Galatians because they had been running a good race. They had been living a good life. They had been running in such a way as to win the crown, but someone persuaded them to stop obeying the truth. What Paul said here was that the God who loves them, who chose them, will not keep them from obeying the truth, so anything that persuades you to stop following the truth doesn’t come from GOD.
So then the question is, if we want to run a good race, we want to live a good life, how do we run the race well, in order to win?
Let’s look at the third of the five passages about running the race of life in the Bible, Psalm 119:32, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.” (NIV) If we want to run a good race in life, we must run in the way or path of God’s COMMANDMENTS.
If God says, “Don’t steal, lie, cheat, or murder,” then don’t steal, lie, cheat or murder. If God says, “Honor your mother and father,” then honor your mother and father. Keep His commands. Jesus says that those who love Him and love the Father will keep the Father’s commands. I want to add Romans 13:9 to this thinking, “The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (NIV) This is Paul’s rephrasing of what Jesus had told the disciples. Keep God’s commands: love. Run a life that is lead by love.
Numbers 2, 3, and 4 come from Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (NASB)
Run without obstacles. Thankfully the writer of Hebrews elaborates when he talks about the sin that entangles us. How do we run the race of life without obstacles? Throw off sin. Rid yourself of the sin that so easily entangles you. It will trip you up and keep you from running a good race. Sin will throw up obstacles that you just don’t need. If you want a good life, a life that you’re running to win, stay away from sin!
Resist temptation. Remove yourself from situations where temptation is too strong and you would give in. Remember the encouraging words from James 4:7, that if we resist the devil, he will flee. If we resist evil, it will pass! Stay away from sin.
Hebrews 12:1 also says to run the race with ENDURANCE. I’m sure you’ve watched the Olympics before. Even if you don’t seek it out, even if it’s not your favorite thing, I’m sure at some point in you’ve life you’ve seen the Olympics. In the shorter races, speed is a must, right? You need that really strong burst of speed right at the beginning to set you apart from the rest of the runners and you have to be able to keep that speed up as long as possible, and then if you’ve ever noticed, when they near the finish line they seem to speed up even more and really push hard toward the end.
Long distance races are different. Speed is still needed, but it’s not as important as endurance. In the longer races you have to be able to keep running at a good pace even after your lungs feel like they’re on fire and your heart feels like it’s going to pound out of your chest. The best long distance runners aren’t known for their speed, they’re known for their endurance. It’s amazing to watch them keep pushing the boundaries of what seems physically impossible.
Endurance is the key to running a good life. There will of course be things that we face that seem impossible to endure. James talks about this extensively. But endurance is necessary. Good races, good lives, are won by the endurance to persevere and press on through anything, even the very, very hard things. It’s not easy, but the end result is good.
The next verse in this passage, Hebrews 12:2 helps us with the endurance part. Run with your eyes fixed on Jesus. Keep looking at Him, the NASB says. He is the beginning of faith, and He is the One who perfects our faith, so keep your eyes on Him. On days when it’s just really hard to keep going, season of life when it’s hard to keep enduring, look at Him. You don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to carry it all. Not every day will be good or great. Some days, it’s just about surviving. But keep looking at Him. Keep looking to Him.
Let’s look at the final verses that talk about running the race of life, Philippians 2:14-16, “Do all things without complaining or arguments; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding firmly the word of life, so that on the day of Christ I can take pride because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.” (NASB)
Run without COMPLAINING or arguments. This is just as hard as enduring. How are we supposed to go through the hard things in life without a little grumbling? It’s not easy, and I certainly am preaching to myself. But what is the goal of not complaining or arguing? Paul says that the goal is to prove ourselves blameless and innocent, to show that we are above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, and to know that we did not run the race or labor in vain.
James says something very similar about enduring hardships, that we should do so with joy because we know the end result of mature faith is too important to approach it with complaining. We run the race without complaining or arguments because we know that the crown of life that is given to those who do life well is too important for us to grumble about the difficulties along the way.
I know it’s not easy. And we all lose sight of this. But here’s the gentle reminder.
Philippians 2:16 also says to run in the word of life. What is the word of life? Well, the word of God is the word of life. The Bible is the word of life. Remember, Jesus told Satan when he was being tempted that men live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. His word gives life to those who follow it. Psalm 119 tells us that God’s word revives us from spiritual drought and death; that His word gives us strength when we are weak; that His word brings us news of His salvation; that His word sustains life in us.
But we also have John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.” (NASB)
The word of God in the flesh is Christ Jesus. John says Christ is the word and in Him is life, so Jesus is the word of life. If we live life in His light, we will run the race well. If you do not live life in Jesus, there is no hope to run the race and win. You won’t. Even if you think you’re doing life alright without Him, you’ll get to the finish line and find out that you’ve lost. Life in Jesus is the only way. If you do not yet have a relationship with Christ, and you want to be able to live life in such a way as to win the prize, you need a relationship with Christ. Come talk to me about a life with Jesus. Live in Jesus. Live every day with Him.
And we circle back to the passage we started with, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, “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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (NIV)
Paul talks about the strict training that those who compete in the games go into. They beat their bodies in submission to their will. They run with self-control. Living a life that is run well means living a life of self-control, or self-discipline. We need to be working out, spiritually, so that as we run the race we are not disqualified.
These are our spiritual workouts: 1. Meditate on and study God’s Word. Spend time in it. Let it soak in. Roll it over in your heart and mind. Ask questions. Write important things down. 2. Give thanks. Count your blessings daily, even if they are few. Give God thanks for all you have. 3. Prayer. Pray without ceasing. Have a new conversation with Jesus every day. Multiple times a day. As often as needed. 4. Give and serve. The body is not without its many parts. We are interconnected and interdependent. We need each other. Give to others, serve others. 5. Fast. Seriously. Anytime Jesus was troubled, He supercharged His prayer with fasting. These five things are our workouts, exercises we do regularly to train for the race. Do these to increase your endurance and focus. Do these to remove obstacles. Do these to run with joy.
And finally, in 1 Corinthians 9:26 Paul says that he doesn’t run as someone without direction. Run with PURPOSE. You know the goal. You know who waits at the end. You know the prize that waits. You’re not running for nothing. It all has the purpose of bringing others to Him, of bringing His kingdom to the here and now. Run with that purpose fixed in your heart. Run to bring Him glory.
1. Finish the Most/Best challenge to spend 1 hour every day with Jesus. Allow these questions to draw you closer to Him: Who do you say I am? Do you know what I have done for you? Are you listening to Me? Do you love Me? (Feed My sheep) Do you believe Me?
2. Keep running the race…keep spending 1 hour with Jesus! Our Most/Best challenge is over, but that doesn’t mean your commitment has to end.
3. Are there ways you’re not running the race well right now? If so, that’s alright! There’s no condemnation in Christ. But how might He call you to run the race better?