It is my turn to write the Pastors column for the Leader-Stateman this coming week. Here is my article: There is a group of runners in Versailles who get together on Friday mornings way before most of us get out of bed. They call their activity “Five at Five” because they run five miles at five am. (Some run more.) Rain, cold, darkness. It doesnt matter. They run. You might call them crazy. That is what I think when I chance to wake up at 5 am on Friday. I think about them running out there in the freezing cold while I am in my nice warm bed and roll over and go back to sleep. Yes, you might call them crazy. But I think they, and runners in general, illustrate what it takes to successfully live the Christian life. Running is an ancient sport and Paul the apostle used running twice to illustrate Christian truth in his epistles. Once was in First 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. 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.” The second reference is Hebrews 12:1. “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which entangles us and run with patience the race set before us.” Three things Paul would have us learn from the runners in these verses. First, we are in a race. The Christian life is compared to a race that is set before us. A race has a goal. It has a purpose. Too many Christians wander in their Christian life when they should be focused on the goal. God has a purpose for your life as a Christian. Second, there is a prize. The Bible talks about “crowns” that will be awarded to faithful believers in the hereafter. We are not working for salvation; we work because we are saved. And God will notice our work and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” to those who have served him faithfully here on earth. First Corinthians 3:12-17 has more details on the rewards distributed to Christians for their service to God. Third, Paul refers to the strict training a runner goes through and applies it to the discipline a Christian should go through to serve the Lord. These runners are dedicated to running to become better runners. They are motivated to run. They give up fattening foods, TV shows, warm beds, etc. to become better runners. As a Christian, are you as dedicated to serving God as the athletes are to winning a race? Are you willing to give up those things that distract you from serving God? So the next time you see runners out there running and you think, “They are crazy!” instead look at their dedication and the sacrifices they make to be better runners and may they motivate us to be as dedicated and willing to sacrifice in our own Christian walk, that race set before us.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 02:33:29 +0000
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