The world we live in is a competitive world.
If you are in a school, you want to score highest than anybody else.
If you are in work place, there is always a competition for a promotion or for a hike, or to impress the authorities above.
If you have a friends or relatives has bought some thing big, then some get pulled into thinking of ohh i need to buy something like that.
In corporate world, This is called rat race.
A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. It conjures up the image of lab rats racing through a maze to get the "cheese" much like society racing to get ahead financially.
someone said - Often, people work long hard hours at jobs they hate, to earn money to buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't like.
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.
But Bible talks about a different race that believers should run.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith
I finished the race.
When a marathon race begins, many people start well and slowly after couple of miles some drop off, and slowly some others, there will be few who endure and cross the finish line.
When Paul says he finished the race means he began the race and ran the race and now about a time when wrote this letter he says he finished the race.
So what is this Race he began, what is he talking about.
It is not the race that world thinks of. Not race of money, Not race of positions, Not race of Status and not race of properties.
This is Race of Faith. So this race is a life of Faith.
This greatness life of Faith can speak even after a person dies. It says about Abel
The whole race at every moment it is rof faith.
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
So that means after a person believes in Lord Jesus and takes baptism, the life I live by Faith alone.
So when should we exercise this faith.? when Some difficult situations come that we cannot solve. Some
I said this before - previously that if there is small thing i will try to manage and but if it out of my hands then i will say Lord I need your attention
But this race is full of faith.
Romans 14:23
and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[c]
Every moment of our life should be driven by faith in Lord Jesus Christ.
Not just when we are in a serious problem or when we are sick, but even my smallest aspect of life should be driven by faith.
Faith is believing what God has already spoken.
When God says your are sins are forgiven, some think may be that sin is not forgiven.
Some say what temptations i go through nobody will have it.
If God says you will not be tempted than what you can endure, you should believe that it is Word of God.
How we should run this race?
Hebrews 12:1-2
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Race is already marked out for us. How we should grow in the Word of God. SOme try to go in the race that is not marked.
If you are running a marathon, there is a track that is marked out, you cannot say i will go out of the way and run.
There is way that is marked out for us.
Being under a shepherd. Being in the fellowship of believers.
Loving one another.
Some say i will sit in home and watch tv and worship.
God called out to be Church and there you will be built. in the fellowship of believers you will be built.
Some might say I dont need a shepherd.
The Lord has marked out how the race should be.
In any races, the participants has coaches who guide them, how to run.
Submitting under authority is always important.
The best example is Our Lord Jesus. In the race He ran, He always submitted to the God the Father , even i Garden of Gethsemene where he said Father take this cup away, but not my will but Your will be done.
If you are in fellowship with brethren in Church then only you will know how to love others.
1 John says, if you dont love your fellow brother, then Love of God is not in you and you dont know God. and if you dont know God then there is no eternal life, because eternal life means knowing God.
How to run the race is marked out for us, Run in the race that is marked for us.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26
24 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. 25 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.26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
Aspects of Running the race:
After i beleived in the Lord and born again and baptized, one brother from Church came and asked me what is your vision in your life.
I have no idea. I said am trying to live sinless life.
So he said you are still in elementary teachings. you should have vision for the life.
Vision:
proverbs 29:18
Where there is no [l]vision, the people are unrestrained,
But happy is he who keeps the law.
Paul compares this race to Olympics.
Paul not disobedient to heavenly vision.
Acts 26:17-19
17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now[a] send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
Paul had a vision from the Lord to preach forgiveness of sins to Gentiles and he was not disobedient.
Today i want to ask you, Whats the vision that you got from the Lord.
Some say God told me to be an evangelist, Preacher of the Word, for some to be helper, for some to Intercede for the people. Are you obedient to the vision you received. Are you running this race keeping the vision in mind?
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-26
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
Fixing our Eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith
Hebrews says Fixing our eyes on Jesus.
In the worldly rat race, we fix our eyes on colleagues, relatives and you want to go ahead of them.
But in the race of faith your eyes is fixed on Jesus. ? WHY
When the eyes are
There is a joy at the end. - Endured the cross , taking the shame.
Many people when the run the race because others are running.
2 Corinthians 4:18
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
what is seen is temporary : we see other people , we see our situations, we see whats happening around.
Example: Others
Abraham fixed his eyes on the city , he was waiting for the city which has foundations, that is why he was living int tents. With the money he had he could have built a city or like the people of babel he could have built something, but he has a goal he has a vision , the vision is there is a city which has foundations and he was living by faith for that city.
Acts 11:9
9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Only when we look at Jesus we can Endure, otherwise will fall.
Hindrances;
Galatians 5:7
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
There are many things that brings hindrances to this race.
Some try to lead us away from Truth.
Hebrew 13:8
I will never leave you not foresake you.
The contentment comes by looking at the Lord.
Boldly declare, the Lord is my Helper, what can man do to me?
You should be prepared to run.
Self discipline.
I make my body slave . Some
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
I Corinthians 9:27 NKJV
Paul says after all the preaching he didn't want to be disqualified because of lack of body discipline.
Really can lack of body discipline disqualify.
See in a marathon, it's your physical weight that disqualifies , you need to in shape to do marathon.
Some say how much ever I try I cannot wakeup for a morning prayer.
How much ever I try I cannot control eating.
You can name your area of discipline that is required for your body.
For some they don't have control on the body
When you are running the race of faith, there are things that hinder from obeying Truth.
Church,
Jesus Christ finished the race, and all others could of witnesses are a great source of encouragement to run the race.
running this race is worthy. Its glorious. because in the end there is eternal life.
In the world, everyone step down others and run the race.
But in the race of faith, we uphold each other and run the race.
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