Runing With Endurance

The Apostle Paul references running throughout his letters to the various churches. He used the ancient Olympic games that happened every four years throughout the rule of Greece and Rome as an illustration of the race of faith. The Olympic games were familiar to the citizens of Rome. Paul compared running and “the race” to the Christian life. Running is an apt metaphor for the race of faith. When someone does not finish a race or event, the officials put next to the person’s name, DNF. DNF is the acronym for Did Not Finish. The officials do not list the reasons for DNF. For most serious runners, DNF is the worst result they can imagine. Runners will limp, crawl, creep, and fall across the finish line rather than DNF. Anyone can start a race. Starting a race is easy. In High School, I ran with someone who started every race in front of the pack. His starts were great, but he would lose steam and not finish well. Starting great but not finishing was one point of Jesus’ Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed. “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.” (They started well.) “But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long.” (They DNF) Matthew 13:20-22 (NLT) To the church in Corinth, Paul wrote: “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step…. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT) To the church in Galatia, he wrote: “You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?” Galatians 5:7 (NLT) To the church in Philippi: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:14 (NLT) Towards the end of his ministry and life, he wrote to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT) Paul ran with endurance. He ran to win; he ran to finish. There was no DNF next to his name. Over 40 years of ministry, I’ve seen lots of people start the race. Most of them with great enthusiasm. I wish I could say I’ve seen them run with endurance, run to win and run to finish. Too many have settled for a DNF next to their name. Many more start the Christian life than finish it. I’m always excited when I talk with someone or see someone who “dropped out of the race” but then re-enters the race. Maybe they “dropped out” because of a spiritual injury, or a team member who disappointed them, or a coach who was hard on them. Whatever the reason for “dropping out,” my heart surges with joy when I see them get back in the race. The letter written to Hebrew Christians encourages endurance and finishing the race. “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT) Keep running! Get back in the race! Let nothing stop you from running! Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Can You Say, "Imitate me"?

The last few weeks I’ve been thinking about parenting and what parents’ “model” for their children. Everyone knows children learn by what they see their parents do. We have common statements that describe this reality. “Do what I say, not what I do.” “Monkey see, monkey do.” “The seed doesn’t fall far from the tree.” “Actions speak louder than words.” Children watch their parents closely. There is a tendency by the child to pick up the habits and practices of their parents. If the parents yell at each other, throw around insults and “name call” they almost guarantee their children will do the same. When confronted with the reality that children imitate their parents, people respond by saying, “I know a child who … his parents were the worst! He didn’t pick up his parents' traits. We can all think of situations like that. Those children are the exception and not the norm. The Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth “… you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT) That is a very bold statement by the Apostle. He knows he is adequately imitating Christ and, because he is imitating Christ, he can challenge the believers to imitate him. I want to live a life that is worthy of imitating. Could I say, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ?” or “Imitate my honesty, my integrity, my leadership, my serving, my compassion, my kindness, and my forgiveness?” As a parent, the onus is on me to live a life that is desirable for my children imitating. Do I want them to tell the truth? I better be a truth teller. Do I want them plugged into a church and regularly worshipping with God’s people? I better be involved and regular. Do I want them to be generous? I better be generous. Do I want them to live a life of service? I better be serving. The inescapable truth is our children will imitate us and they will live the kind of life we live. The Apostle Paul said, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) Jesus, transform us so we live lives worth imitating. Amen