Are you running the race to win? If you are a Christian, you, my friend, are in a race. First Corinthians 9:24-27 tells us, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” (New American Standard Bible)
Jesus Is the Prize
What is that prize? The apostle Paul sheds light on this in Philippians 3:7-15. He starts by describing his “spiritual pedigree”, and then goes on to say,
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you….
Paul didn’t hang onto his natural credentials to please God. He counted it all as a loss and as garbage in order for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord! He gave up anything and everything that would stand in his way of knowing and following Jesus! He laid down his spiritual and natural pride and made it His greatest ambition to know Jesus and to have faith in Him. His righteousness came from Jesus’ blood through His death on the cross, not by Paul’s trying to be good enough. Paul knew he needed Jesus and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. He chose to fellowship with Jesus His sufferings, being conformed to His death. That means he chose to follow Jesus and to suffer for being a Christian, getting persecuted for it, and to die the death to his own selfish ways. Paul was willing to forget what lies behind, including the mistakes and hurts of the past, and to reach forward to what lies ahead, His destiny with God/Jesus. He pressed on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He further enjoins us to have the same attitudes as he.
Does Anything Hold You Back?
Are you running the race to win? What hurts in the past hold you back? Give them to God and ask Him to heal your heart and set you free! He understands perfectly, He cares deeply, and He absolutely will heal your heart and set you free! Lay aside your pride and ask Him for help in all you do. First Peter 5:5 tells us, “…God is opposed to [King James Version says “resists”] the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Ask Him to help you realize your God-given destiny, which is a spiritually and psychologically intimate relationship with God/Jesus, fulfilling your God-given purpose on earth, and ruling with Jesus in the next age!
Following Jesus Involves Wise Choices
Think about a professional runner for a moment. He or she cannot sit in front of the television, eat a family-size bag of potato chips, and drink a six-pack of beer! He or she has to make sacrifices to attain his/her goal of winning a race. So, in the same way, you and I need to make sacrifices to attain our spiritual goals, the first and foremost to know God/Jesus better, and, secondly, to attain the spiritual goals He sets for us, which we hear in prayer. Everyone gets only 24 hours per day. Each day is a gift from God which you can spend wisely or blow in a foolish way.
Are you running the race to win? Do you make time to pray and read your Bible each day? Do you make time each week to go to church? Or do you let other things, such as too much TV or too much cell phone time, fritter away your day? You cannot waste your life away in less important things and expect a close relationship with God. A close relationship with God takes spending time with Him daily. Could a married couple be close if they only spent one hour together each week? In the same way, we need to spend time with God/Jesus daily!
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of 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. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”
So, we see from these verses that to successfully run the race, we must lay aside sin, as well. We will be able to endure the race by fixing our eyes on our precious and wonderful Lord Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Who endured His race for the joy set before Him. We are His joy, and He is our Joy!
You Can Become a Join-Heir with Jesus!
May God help us to make wise choices and run the race to win the prize of a close relationship with God/Jesus! Those who do will become join-heirs with Jesus and reign with Him! Romans 8:16-18 tells us, “The [Holy] Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us [King James Version says “…in us”].”
Press on, Runner! You will run into His arms! There could be no greater Prize than Jesus Himself!
Listen to Chris Rice’s song “Life Means So Much” below.
Listen to Twila Paris’ song Runner below: