Tag: race

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Hebrews

We also

Hebrews

Running has never been my thing. I recently have picked it up again though my runs tend to be very short, no where near a 10k, no less a marathon.

But as Christians, we are called to join the great race, the race of God’s kingdom.

To some degree, we are already in God’s kingdom. Jesus said the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21).

And each day we are to live as subjects of that kingdom. We are to live for the purposes of that kingdom, and the King who reigns it.

But the day will come when we see the kingdom in all its fullness. And as Christians, that is what we all long for.

It is what the great men and women of faith lived for. And it is what the writer of Hebrews charged his listeners to live for.

His listeners were going through a tough time and were suffering because of their faith. Others were struggling with sin in their lives. And still others were weighed down by their love for the world, by doubts, or other things.

And so the writer of Hebrews tells them,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

For some reason, the NIV and some other translations omit a word in their translation here. It’s a simple word: “also.”

The ESV reads this way,

“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.”

Maybe the translators for the NIV just felt it wasn’t so important to translate. I don’t know.

But when I read that “also,” it makes me think that these men and women of faith that the writer mentions in chapter 11 were just like me.

They also had to lay aside sin in their life, sin in which they struggled to get untangled from. They also had to lay aside the weights of doubt and the things of this world. And because they did so, God commended them for it.

And now, we too are called to follow their example and lay aside the sin and other things that would weigh us down as we run this race we’re in.

At the same time we lay these things behind, however, we are to look ahead. To what?

To Jesus. He was the author or pioneer of our faith. He blazed a trail for us to reach the Father. Through the cross, our sins can now be forgiven and we can have peace with God.

And he is also the perfecter of our faith. Though we are now imperfect, though we struggle with sin and doubt in our lives, he will not stop working in us until we are complete.

And so through every trial, through every struggle, we are to keep our eyes on him.

When we look at what’s around us, it is easy to get discouraged by what we see. By the evil we see. By our sin.

But take your eyes off of these things. Fix them on Jesus.

Then run, shedding the things that are keeping you from doing so, and especially the sin that would cause you to fall.

And Jesus will lead you home.

Categories
2 TImothy

Finishing the race

Finishing the race

I don’t know if Paul could have given a stronger charge to Timothy than he does here.

Paul foresaw a time when people would no longer put up with sound doctrine. Rather, they would simply gather to themselves teachers who would say whatever they want to hear.

He foresaw a time when people would stop listening to truth, and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Sound familiar? We’re here.

And it would be so easy for us as teachers and as laypeople to simply go with the flow. To compromise Christ’s teaching.

But Paul tells us what he told Timothy.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction. (1-2)

As I said, a strong charge. He gives us this charge, reminding us that even now we stand in the presence of God and of Christ who will judge us.

He charges us in view of the fact that Jesus will come back someday and set up his kingdom. What is this charge?

Preach the Word. Not just the parts people like to hear. All of it, giving the full counsel of God, even if it’s unpleasant to hear.

He says, “be prepared in season and out of season.” Essentially what he’s saying is, “Preach the Word whether it is convenient or inconvenient.

It’s not always convenient to preach the Word. Sometimes we’re in a hurry to do other things. We have our schedules; we have our plans. But God brings someone into our path that needs to hear what He has to say.

Sometimes it’s not “convenient” because we know what we say will agitate the other person and upset them.

But Paul says, “You stand before God and before Christ. He will come back, he will set up his kingdom, and when he does, he will judge you and them. So whether it’s convenient or not, preach the Word.

Correct them. When they have a false view of the truth or of what’s right and wrong, correct their way of thinking.

Rebuke them. If they fall into sin or are teetering on the brink, warn them of the consequences that they might repent.

Encourage them. When they feel like giving up because of hardship, encourage them to keep their eyes on Jesus and not give up.

And in the face of a world that rejects truth and persecutes those who preach it, Paul tells us,

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (5)

Though false teachers abound, though we may face trials, don’t panic.

Endure what hardship you go through, boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ, and fulfill the ministry God has given you, namely to touch the lives God has put in your life.

Finally, Paul tells us, “It’s up to you now. My life’s work is finished. I have fought the good fight for God. I have finished the race he has given me. And I have not compromised the faith I preach through everything I’ve been through.

“Now I await my reward, the crown of righteousness that Christ will award to me on the day of judgment.” (5-8)

But then he adds, “That crown is not only for me. But it is for all who have longed for his appearing.” (8b)

How about you? Are you longing for his appearing? Are you truly praying, “Your kingdom come?”

How you finish this race depends on how you answer that question.

Where is your heart?

Categories
1 Corinthians

Whatever it takes

1 Corinthians

This is a pretty famous passage in scripture. And it compares our life to a marathon. We are all running the race God has put us in.

The prize we’re running for? The crown we receive from Christ for accomplishing the task he has given us, namely the task of spreading his kingdom.

What is that crown? I don’t know, but it seems from Jesus’ teaching that we receive his praise and are invited to share in his happiness for all eternity.

More, we receive even greater responsibilities in the eternal kingdom because of our faithfulness to him in this world. (Matthew 25:21, 23)

The question is, “What will we do in order to get that crown? Will we do whatever it takes?”

Paul writes,

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.

Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:25-27)

Let’s put it this way. If you’re going to run a marathon, you are not merely thinking of today and how to please yourself. Rather, you are willing to sacrifice the pleasures of today in order to achieve a greater goal.

You’ll sacrifice those potato chips and hamburgers and eat only healthy foods.

You’ll put aside the time you spend watching TV and surfing the internet in order to run hours at a time, no matter how hard it is.

And by doing that, you put yourself in a position to win the prize.

In the same way, if we are serious about spreading God’s kingdom, we can no longer make ourselves and the pleasures of this world the focus of our lives.

We need to sacrifice some of the things we want in order to serve the kingdom.

For Paul, as we mentioned before, that meant sacrificing a salary from preaching in order that he might reach more people.

It meant sacrificing his freedom as a Christian sometimes and only eating kosher foods when he was with the Jews.

In other cases, if he was with a person that felt like it was wrong to eat meat that was offered to idols, it meant giving up his freedom to eat that as well.

But so many of us are self-centered. We think only about pleasing ourselves. We are so concerned with our rights, that we trample on the feelings of others.

Others of us are stingy with our money and fail to give those in need. Or we are stingy with our time and guard our free time like it was gold, even when others need us.

Still others of us are too concerned about the rewards we’re getting here on earth from the ministry we are doing.

In other words, our motives aren’t right. We’re seeking wealth or respect from those we are supposedly serving.

And all of these attitudes will leave us disqualified for the prize come judgment day.

Are we willing to do whatever it takes to win the prize?

Are we willing to give up the pleasures of today to gain something far greater?

Are we willing to sacrifice our rights, our time, our money, and our pride now for the sake of the crown awaiting us?

Or will we continue to focus only on what we can gain in the here and now and find ourselves disqualified for the prize?

What will you choose?