On Monday Morning April 16th 2018, something
happened that hadn’t happened since I was 2 months old in 1985. An American
woman won the Boston Marathon. Des Linden became the first American woman to
win the Boston Marathon in 33 years. On top of that, she was not a favorite at
all to win the race. The weather conditions were very unfavorable as the entire
26.2-mile race was ran in 42-degree windy rain with a windchill factor below
freezing. Des even recognized that she probably would not have one if the
conditions were favorable. It was her grit and determination that gave her the victory.
As you can imagine when she crossed the finish line wiping rain off her eyes,
she was filled with great joy and emotion with her feat.
Myself and other preachers and bible class teachers talk
often about how the Christian life is compared to an endurance race such as the
marathon. We recall verses like Hebrews
12:2, “Therefore, since
we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay
aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let
us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The challenges
and obstacles we face in life take much endurance to make it to the finish.
We also note Paul’s comparison to the Christian life as a
race in a statement he makes to Timothy at the end of his life. He says in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out like a drink
offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought
the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown
of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on
that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Paul understood and endured many of the challenges associated with living a
faithful life in Christ. It should be our goal to have the confidence at the
end of our life to make such a bold statement as Paul.
To be able to make the same statement at the end of our life
two things must happen. If you are familiar with race results, you know at the very
bottom of the results there is a list of names that do not have a time next to
them. Instead, they have one of two acronyms.
1. DNS – Did Not Start the race – At this year’s
Boston Marathon, there were many elite athletes who looked at the weather forecast
and decided the conditions were too much and opted not to run. It goes without
saying that there is no chance of receiving the prize if you never start the
race. We must start the race! We start the race of faith when we become a
Christian. I say it often, baptism is not the end goal it is the beginning!
2.
DNF – Did Not Finish – This year there was an
abnormally high number of elite runners who received the marks DNF next to
their name because of the poor running conditions. The champion even said she
considered dropping out at mile 6 but pushed on. In our life as Christians we
see the challenges that might cause us to want to drop out we need to push on
and finish the race! Hebrews 10:26 tells
us the dangers of going back to a life of sin, “For if we go on sinning willfully
after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice
for sins.” This why the Hebrew writer says we need to lay off every
encumbrance of sin that so easily entangles us. We must continue faithfully
living for God after we begin the race.
My hope and prayer is that everyone reading can stand at the end
of their life (remembering that we do not know when that will be) and boldly
say, I have finished the race!
Blessings,
Jeremy
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