Well it’s the London Marathon today. Those participating will have spent months preparing for this day. I remember when my brother ran this a number of years ago the preparation programme was really intense. I remember cycling alongside him running and thinking ‘this is madness, is this really worth it!?’ Yet I also remember the glorious sense of achievement he had when he finally reached that finish line at 26.2miles.
In the Bible, growth in holiness/Christlikeness is compared to a race – not the hundred yard sprint but more like the marathon. There are similarities in running the marathon and growing in Christlikeness. Here are some tips to help us run in our Christian life…
Be disciplined: “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
Run to win: “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
Don’t look back: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).
Get rid of what holds you back: “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
Work past the pain: “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).
And finally…..
Keep Running until You Break the Tape: The Christian life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. But some people never see God working in their lives because they refuse to hang in there long enough for God to show Himself to be God. When we quit the race, we teach ourselves that it’s really up to us alone and God has no value to our struggling lives.
The finish line is not in this life. We don’t break the tape until our hearts stop beating. That was the Apostle Paul’s view, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Until then, we keep running!
God Bless
Captain Clare