Winning the race – Friday 22 June

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. 1 Corinthians 9:24

I don’t believe that I will ever win a race, but I did get a medal for finishing the Kenilworth half marathon last year. I felt pleased that my effort in training and running the race had been rewarded.

I find the analogy of finishing a half marathon a better one for the Christian life than one runner winning a race. What about the other runners that trained and ran hard, but didn’t win? I guess the point is that we must give it everything.

There are numerous references in the Bible that perseverance in faith is a mark of the true Christian. A glib acceptance of Jesus as Lord followed by an unchanged life is not what we are called to. I am sure that we all still sin, and that doesn’t mean we’ve missed out on our salvation, as long as we return to God’s Grace. Nonetheless, I do think there is a necessary struggle and effort to move closer to God and rid ourselves from sin. This is an unavoidable part of following Jesus, and if we don’t struggle we are probably doing something wrong.

I hope you haven’t found these devotionals too downbeat, so I’ll leave you with a reminder of our great prize in following Christ:

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.