“Not that I have already
obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take
hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do
not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I press
on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward
in Christ.”
Philippians 3:12-14
What is the single
most important item to a runner?
Their running shoes,
right?
You would never think
of running a race in flip-flops or high heels.
The very image makes
us laugh but would never make us take the person seriously.
If you are serious
about winning the race you are very serious about wearing the right shoe.
A runner does not
save an expensive new pair for the day of the race either.
He breaks them in and
is certain they will do the job he expects ahead of time.
As believers we too
have ‘equipment’ to help us run the race.
Prayer, fellowship,
study of the Word and sharing our faith.
Like the serious runner
we know that without these four things being present in our lives we will
stumble along the course as if we were running in high heels or flip flops.
Instead of setting ourselves
up for success we would be running toward sure failure.
Ours is more than
just a quick prayer in a moment of crisis – that would be like the new sneakers
on the day of the race – ours is a lifestyle of prayer.
Fellowship is more
than an occasional ‘pot luck dinner’ it is the deep understanding that we need
one another and sharpen each other.
We study His Word in
order to know Him better and not to impress others with how many verses we can
quote.
Finally, in sharing
our faith, we understand that works of service done through love can be as
powerful or more so than standing on a street corner and shouting out impending
judgment.
These are just a few
of the tools made available to the one who would not only enter the race but
who is determined to finish it well.
Is that you?
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