How To Run the Race Well
We all know people who start well but always seem to end poorly. Somewhere between the starting line and the finish line, something went wrong, causing a poor finish. I was a sprinter in my younger days. How I started the race was important but running a smart race and ending well most determined whether or not I won the race.
Living in a broken world, one more fractured every day, it is hard to stay on track and not find ourselves getting derailed. It takes great determination and focus. It takes saying yes when yes is required, and no when no is required, regardless of the blowback by others. It takes living a life guided by rule and reign of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It takes a clear sense of your purpose and calling. It takes a teachable, humble, and obedient heart. It takes the help of others. It takes an infusion of intentionality and effort to not allow the trappings of the world to gain hold in our life. In other words, it is not easy.
The apostle Paul gives us a model for running a good race, and for finishing well. In Philippians, he compares the Christian life to a race. Before continuing, either grab your Bible and read Philippians 3:12-14 or click here to read the passage.
I see v.12 talking about attitude. Paul realizes that his Christian conversion helped him to re-prioritize his life. It gave him a new assessment of his goals and an overwhelming desire to know Jesus more fully. Paul knows he must continue to pursue the plan God has laid out for him. Paul knows that it is not himself who supplies the resources to “press on,” but rather it will be Jesus who supplies those resources, energized by the Spirit.
In v.13 the emphasis is on focus. Again, Paul does not claim to have obtained his final goal – a full knowledge of Jesus and conformity to Him. The “one thing” he talks about is his passion for living the Christian life. Running a race that involves the relentless centering of his focus and energy on the course ahead of him. It involves effort, being focused on becoming more like Jesus. Forgetting does not mean wiping his past from his memory but instead, a conscious effort to not allow it to absorb his attention and slow his progress.
And finally, in v.14, we are called to stretch. Paul compares the Christian life to pressing on and stretching for the finish line. “Pressing on” is not easy and requires pushing past his comfort zone, ignoring the pain. This prize referred to is not simply eternal life. It is that but also dying to that self-centered life that is natural to all of us and our willingness to press on in living, and sharing, our new Christ-centered life.
The Christian life is not easy. It is hard to have the right attitude, to stay focused, and to keep stretching (pressing on), when most of the culture pushes us in the opposite direction. It is hard to have, and keep, Jesus in every aspect of our lives.
We find these words in 2 Timothy – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (4:7).
So, right now, either for the first time, or the umpteenth time, ask Jesus to be the center of your life, submit fully to Him, and then do not look back. Commit to not just running the race, but running it well, running it to win, finishing well.
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