In 1968 – the Olympics were held in Mexico City – the last runner to finish the marathon was a guy from Tanzania - John Stephen Akhwari. During the race, he had broken a leg. He’d stumbled, he’d been hurt badly, he was bruised, beaten up, bloodied. And long after everybody else had entered the stadium, in fact the stadium was almost empty. But as he entered to do his last lap and finish the marathon, the crowd rose and gave him a standing ovation. Later he was asked, “Why didn’t you quit when you were hurt and bruised, bloody, discouraged? Why didn’t you quit?” He gave a classic answer. He said… “My country did not send me 7000 miles around the world to start the race. But to finish it.”
The Bible teaches very clearly that life is a race. Unfortunately, most people never finish it. They get waylaid, sidetracked, distracted. They get disqualified. For one reason or another, they die with unfulfilled dreams, with unrealized potential and without ever becoming what God intended their life to become. That is a tragedy.
The Apostle Paul wrote a lot about this – more than anybody else. He said, I don’t want to miss God’s best. In Acts 20:24 he says “I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task that the Lord Jesus has given me.” Are you going to be able to say that about your life? That you did what God made you to do? That you fulfilled the purpose for which you were put on this earth?
So, what’s the problem? Why is it that so many enter the race, but so few complete it? Listen to what Jesus said in John 10:10 -“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” What’s the problem? We have an enemy who wants to knock us out of the race. We have an enemy who wants to steal our joy. Kill our love for God. Destroy any semblance of spirtual life in us.
So, what are we to do if we are going to lives lives that realize the God-given dream that has been placed in our hearts? How do we finish well the race of life?
That's what i want to look at the next few days.
#1. REMEMBER YOUR PLACE IN THE STORY
I need to wake up each and every day with this truth embedded in my mind and heart. (IN THE MOVIE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: What God desires is here and here – pointing to the mans head and heart) Whenever I get discouraged, whenever I feel like giving up, I remember two truths;
1. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:1 (CEV) “God has been kind enough to trust us with HIS work. That's why we never give up.”
Why am I doing this? Because it’s assigned to me by God. My life mission comes from God. I didn’t just make this thing up. He assigned it to me and He has a life mission for you. He has entrusted this work to me, so I will never give up! He did not give me this work to start, but to finish!
2. I realize I’m going to be rewarded some day. 1 Corinthians 9:25-26 says “To win the contest, you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best…” We don’t like that part. What we want to do is do what God wants us to do, plus have everything else the world offers.
God says, No, that’s not possible. If you’re going to win a race, you’re going to have to go through some discipline, some self-denial. He says, “To win the contest, you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best.” You don’t have time for everything. If you’re going to do ministry that means there’s going to have to be some things that you’re going to have to cut out of your life. “… but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.”
1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)says, "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything."
You know what that means? Just because I can do something doesn't mean I should. There will be many "voices" calling out for your attention. May roads in life that will be detours from the road God wants you own. You must discern what is good for you and what is best. Let me ask you today - what are the "acceptable things" that you are you doing at this time in your life, but if you really got serious with yourself and God, you would admit they are not beneficial?
Examine your life today. Practice some self-denial. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!
No comments:
Post a Comment