Isaiah 40:31
‘But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; THEY WILL RUN AND NOT GROW WEARY, they will walk and not faint.’
Hebrews 12: 1-3
‘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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that YOU WILL NOT GROW WEARY AND LOSE HEART.’
1 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 for ever. 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 that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.’
The 2012 Olympic Games are now on the horizon. London is bringing the Olympic Games back to Britain for the first time in 64 years. Excitement is building as Olympic athletes all around the world are training hard with their minds and hearts set on being the best in the world at their particular sport. Their goal – an Olympic medal!
If Paul one of the writers in the New Testament were alive today, he would probably read the sports pages of the newspaper and follow the progress of various teams and athletes. Several athletic references in his letters indicate his interest in sports especially that of foot races in the arena. Paul was aware that the Jewish believers were possibly getting weary and wanted to give up on their Christian journey; so he encouraged them to keep moving forward in their Christian lives like runners on a track.
Paul wrote that he ran the race in such a way as to obtain the prize; he disciplined himself and continually pressed forward toward the goal in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:24-25; Philippians 3:12-14). At the end of his ministry, he declared that he had fought the good fight, finished the race and had kept the faith (2 Timothy 4: 7-8).
Athletes in a race do not crawl! They run! They exert themselves ,giving their undivided attention to the task at hand. The Christian life requires that same kind of discipline and focus if we live out Kingdom values and are engaged in Kingdom ambition. We must understand and embrace the fact that we not only need to run, but to run in such a way that we make a difference in our lives, our church, our communities, and even our world!
‘But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; THEY WILL RUN AND NOT GROW WEARY, they will walk and not faint.’
Hebrews 12: 1-3
‘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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that YOU WILL NOT GROW WEARY AND LOSE HEART.’
1 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 for ever. 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 that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.’
The 2012 Olympic Games are now on the horizon. London is bringing the Olympic Games back to Britain for the first time in 64 years. Excitement is building as Olympic athletes all around the world are training hard with their minds and hearts set on being the best in the world at their particular sport. Their goal – an Olympic medal!
If Paul one of the writers in the New Testament were alive today, he would probably read the sports pages of the newspaper and follow the progress of various teams and athletes. Several athletic references in his letters indicate his interest in sports especially that of foot races in the arena. Paul was aware that the Jewish believers were possibly getting weary and wanted to give up on their Christian journey; so he encouraged them to keep moving forward in their Christian lives like runners on a track.
Paul wrote that he ran the race in such a way as to obtain the prize; he disciplined himself and continually pressed forward toward the goal in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:24-25; Philippians 3:12-14). At the end of his ministry, he declared that he had fought the good fight, finished the race and had kept the faith (2 Timothy 4: 7-8).
Athletes in a race do not crawl! They run! They exert themselves ,giving their undivided attention to the task at hand. The Christian life requires that same kind of discipline and focus if we live out Kingdom values and are engaged in Kingdom ambition. We must understand and embrace the fact that we not only need to run, but to run in such a way that we make a difference in our lives, our church, our communities, and even our world!
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