Week of Monday September 29 – October 5
Finish with Fire! – Man as Provider
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
During the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Billy Mills of the USA won the 10,000-meter race. However, it was Sri Lankan runner Ranatunge Karunananda’s remarkable determination to complete the race that caught my attention:
[W]hen Mills passed the finish line, Ranatunge was still 4 laps behind. (It is said that he was unwell that day). The spectators expected him to quit at some point but he kept running. As he kept running alone, people began to laugh at him and some even began to heckle him. But he still kept running. When the spectators eventually realized that this unknown athlete was determined to finish the race, the jeers slowly turned to admiration and some applause slowly began to rise across the Stadium. As he started on the final lap, the applause grew louder as the crowd, now inspired by his perseverance, encouraged him to complete the race. Cheers and applause erupted as the exhausted athlete eventually finished the race.
Many who run the race of the Christian life struggle with distractions and are hindered by the challenges and cares of this world. The apostle Paul was aware of these struggles and exhorted believers to stay in the race and finish well.
Why is it so important for us to run the race and finish well? Paul explains elsewhere: “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:7-8). In other words, we belong to God, so we should seek to honor Him in everything that we do. We also need to keep in mind those we love and lead, because our actions set an example for them.
Running the race of the Christian life takes great discipline and self-control. We live in a time rich with technological advancements, but these blessings can turn into curses if we allow ourselves to be distracted. Take smartphones, for example. As useful an innovation as they are, they can also place the evils that run rampant on the internet and social media directly into a man’s pocket, luring him off the running track and into the ditch of spiritual destruction. Again, Paul reminds us to exercise self-control in all things. Did you get that? All things!
There is much more at stake than we might realize, including our personal testimony of faith, our family’s reputation and legacy, and our godly influence on our loved ones. Not to mention the reputation of the church and Jesus Christ!
Joseph Stowell, in his book Fan the Flame, writes, “The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him!”
May we finish our race with fire and may our lives light the way!
- How are you protecting your heart and personal testimony when it comes to using your smartphone?
- Are you strategically providing an example for your children and grandchildren and teaching them spiritual disciplines that will help them run the race of faith well?
- Pray and ask the Lord for the strength and endurance to finish with fire!
Finish with Fire! – Man as Provider
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
During the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Billy Mills of the USA won the 10,000-meter race. However, it was Sri Lankan runner Ranatunge Karunananda’s remarkable determination to complete the race that caught my attention:
[W]hen Mills passed the finish line, Ranatunge was still 4 laps behind. (It is said that he was unwell that day). The spectators expected him to quit at some point but he kept running. As he kept running alone, people began to laugh at him and some even began to heckle him. But he still kept running. When the spectators eventually realized that this unknown athlete was determined to finish the race, the jeers slowly turned to admiration and some applause slowly began to rise across the Stadium. As he started on the final lap, the applause grew louder as the crowd, now inspired by his perseverance, encouraged him to complete the race. Cheers and applause erupted as the exhausted athlete eventually finished the race.
Many who run the race of the Christian life struggle with distractions and are hindered by the challenges and cares of this world. The apostle Paul was aware of these struggles and exhorted believers to stay in the race and finish well.
Why is it so important for us to run the race and finish well? Paul explains elsewhere: “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:7-8). In other words, we belong to God, so we should seek to honor Him in everything that we do. We also need to keep in mind those we love and lead, because our actions set an example for them.
Running the race of the Christian life takes great discipline and self-control. We live in a time rich with technological advancements, but these blessings can turn into curses if we allow ourselves to be distracted. Take smartphones, for example. As useful an innovation as they are, they can also place the evils that run rampant on the internet and social media directly into a man’s pocket, luring him off the running track and into the ditch of spiritual destruction. Again, Paul reminds us to exercise self-control in all things. Did you get that? All things!
There is much more at stake than we might realize, including our personal testimony of faith, our family’s reputation and legacy, and our godly influence on our loved ones. Not to mention the reputation of the church and Jesus Christ!
Joseph Stowell, in his book Fan the Flame, writes, “The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him!”
May we finish our race with fire and may our lives light the way!
- How are you protecting your heart and personal testimony when it comes to using your smartphone?
- Are you strategically providing an example for your children and grandchildren and teaching them spiritual disciplines that will help them run the race of faith well?
- Pray and ask the Lord for the strength and endurance to finish with fire!