Run The Race

How many of you have ever watched the olympics on tv? Isn’t it amazing how fast those people are? There is this one guy from the country of Morrocco that ran a mile in 3 minutes and 43 seconds. I think the fastest I ever ran a mile was like 16 minutes and that’s because the coach stopped counting before I was done.

But these athletes run these races so fast its hard to imagine our bodies moving at that rate of speed, especially for that length of time.

But these guys don’t just get out of bed one day and say, “I am going to go run a mile in 3 minutes today!” They dedicate their entire lives to training for this run. They run day after day, mile after mile. They have good days and bad days. They have days they don’t want to get out of bed. They have days that they fall down and get hurt. These guys spend there entire lives running, trying to make it to this goal.

Think about this, how are our lives as Christians, compared to the lives of these runners? Do we just get up one day, say now I am a Christian, I have reached the goal and I am done? NO! being a Christian isn’t just a one time prayer that we pray. It isn’t something we can just do one day and never think about it again. When we become a Christian, we take on a lifelong commitment to running a race. There are going to be good days and bad days. There are going to be days that we fall and sin, but we have to be willing to get up and whipe off our knees and go again.

When you decide to become a runner, you are going to need more than just the ability to run. You are going to need knowledge, you are going to need a coach, you are going to need running shoes and you are going to need some fans to support you and cheer you on.

Just like a runner, a Christian needs some extra things to help them run the Christian race. First off we are going to need knowledge. How do we get knowledge? Well we could go to church and listen to the pastor, but just like in school, the teacher doesn’t teach you everything in the book, The Pastor can’t teach you everything in the book. You yourself have to go home and study the bible. When you witness to your friends, you need to know what you are talking about. And I’m not saying your pastor or your youth pastor would ever lie to you, but they are human and they could be wrong. How would you ever know if they were wrong unless you had studied the bible?

The second thing a Christian needs is a Coach. When your out on the field playing sports, the main job of the coach is to communicate to the team what they should be doing. When you are a Christian, the way the Coach, or God, communicates to us is through prayer. When we pray, it gives us an opportunity to ask God for directions and then it gives God an opportunity to tell us what to do next. Communication or prayer is a very important part of a Christian’s life.

The third thing a runner needs is shoes. These help the runner to get moving and making a difference on the track. For a Christian, our shoes represents action. We have to get out into the world and make a difference. If you are a Christian, you should be out witnessing to your friends. You should be helping little old women cross the street. Being a Christian, means being Christ to the world. Making a difference in people’s lives. When Jesus was on Earth, he didn’t just sit at home and play Xbox until it was time to be crusified. Jesus was out feeding poor and healing the sick. That is what we, as Christians should be doing.

The last thing a runner and we Christians need are fans, cheering us on! That is why we go to church. That is why we push you guys to come here every week. That is why you are continually told that you need to have good Christian friends. Its because The rest of the world is constantly making fun of you. They are constantly bringing you down, but we need friends and fans that are cheering us on in life and telling us how awesome we are. That is why Paul says in Hebrews, to gather together with other Christians. Its so that we can be encouraged to finish the race.

Guys, being a Christian is hard. I promise you, I have tried, and you cannot make it through life on your own. You have to study the bible, talk to God, go out and help others and be involved with a group of Christian friends. If you choose to try this Christian thing without being prepared and without the right equipment, you will fail. But if you take it day by day, eventually those days will turn into weeks and those weeks will turn into months and one day you will look back wondering how you got to where you are. And it will be because you stayed the course, used your resources and kept your eyes on the prize!