Dear Lighthouse,
I hate running.
Really, I do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for exercise, it’s
good for you. But running? Come
on. I know some people like to run. Some
people love it; they’re addicted to it. (They’re sick.) But unless there is a good reason to run – like to dinner, or to the store, or away from the cops
– I just don’t see the point.
I bought a
treadmill which I set up in front of the TV. It’s okay, but I think sitting
in the chair that’s in front of the TV is even more fun. Still, there are
those that do find running enjoyable – even satisfying. They talk about
the feeling they get when they run. Physiologically it is proven that exercise,
like jogging, does release good-feeling neurotransmitters in the brain – endorphins.
That’s a good thing. But, oh, the bother of running in order to
get them. Couldn’t there be a better way?
I guess some
drugs mimic these neurotransmitters. They may even promote their production. Like last week when we discussed addictions, (or the shocking confessions ;) of Craig
in SS) these chemicals in the brain cause the brain to crave and eventually they form habits leading to dependency. So, the quick, cheating attempt to get satisfaction without the healthy input of work and exercise leaves
the person dependent, not satisfied. Interesting.
We’ll come back to this point.
I am convinced
that the Apostle Paul was a runner. I would even suspect he was pretty fast and
could run a lot longer than me. I believe this based on some of his writings
where he compares the Christian life to a race that is run by the Christian with tough, gut-it-out perseverance to the very
(and sometimes bitter) end.
Let’s
look at three passages:
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. 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.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do no fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified
for the prize. -I Cor. 9:24-27
I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race
in vain.
-Gal. 2:2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
-Heb. 12:1*
*Hebrews was likely not written by Paul, but perhaps by his close friend Barnabas who may have picked up
on Paul’s metaphors
These passages reveal Paul’s mindset when
it comes to the Christian life. Once you become a Christian you are only at the
starting line of your walk with God. From then on it becomes, in Paul’s
thinking, a race. The finish line is drawn at your death. The two-fold question is then: 1)Will you keep your faith to the end?
2)And will your running of the race encourage others to carry on in the relay?
Let’s consider both questions.
Scripture makes it abundantly clear that your
faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior is what saves you (I don’t mean to diminish
the role of belief, repentance, baptism, and such here, but faith is at the root of them all.
For more information on salvation see our website!). Equally clear
is the fact that with your salvation comes a responsibility to be “on call” for God – to do the work of
His Kingdom here on Earth. In the above passages Paul is encouraging believers
to keep the faith to the end as they live the Christian life. In so doing they
accomplish both goals of their faith.
It is
important for you to go back and look at the context of I Cor. 9 and Hebrews 11. Each
of those sections discuss how true believers, like Paul himself, go through many trials, many difficulties, and even rejections
along the way of their Christian race. This is to be expected but it is also
to be overcome with a steady, committed, persevering faith in God.
The nagging
issue that results from this discussion, though, is this: Can some Christians
fall by the wayside as their race gets tough? In my opinion, the answer is yes. However, I think it is difficult. Here’s
why. Your salvation comes through your faith in Jesus. Therefore, your works are irrelevant to your salvation fundamentally, but relevant to your reward (or prize)
awaiting you in Heaven. The caveat here is that your works often determine your
faith. So, a life that is consistently characterized by a godless disregard of
Jesus as Lord may lead to a slow erosion of one’s faith in Jesus as Savior. The
result would be a Christian that may, at some future point, have a faith that is so eroded and twisted by the duality of their
life compared to the standards held out by God, that their faith may evaporate and be abandoned by their own free choice to
do so.
This would
be the person, again in my opinion, that failed to cross the finish line of the Christian race. This person leaves no impact on those around them to join the race.
This person is in severe danger. Like a drug addict they have chosen the
quick road to happiness instead of the slow Pilgrim’s Progress road that
is fraught with struggle but ends in glorification. This person has sacrificed
the good and holy on the altar of the evil and vulgar. This person has dulled
their faith into non-existence by bludgeoning it over and over again by repeated sin until their hearts and consciences are
calloused so thickly that they no longer feel the pull of the Spirit toward repentance and true joy.
So, were back
to running. Paul did not want to be disqualified nor to run his race in vain. He wanted the two-fold prize – eternal life with God (given to him by the work
of Christ) and an eternal crown (given to him as a reward for his service in preaching the gospel of Christ). He knew that he could not achieve the prize if he ran a race that
he himself marked out. No, he had to run according to God’s rules and
had to run the course that He had established.
He knew he could not take any short-cuts to win. Victory was only for
those who ran the true race to the very end. He knew there would be obstacles
and entanglements to snare him along the way. To me this suggests at least the
possibility of failure – not because the blood of the Lamb is insufficient to cover any of my infractions. No, failure can only come by one’s willing choice to reject His saving grace. Why would someone do such a thing? Because we may be lured
into shortcuts, entangled sinful vines across our paths, or disheartened by the length of the course. How about you?
I write all
this not to discourage you in your walk, but to encourage you to be sober-minded about your commitment and serious in your attention to developing a personal
relationship with God the Father. I write it to charge you to persevere for the
end may be sooner than you realize. Take advantage of every opportunity and pass
the racer’s baton on to others – making them fellow-runners with you.
How can you
run the race to the end? Paul suggests that it takes training. I agree. The Christian that is committed to the race will
train themselves to run it. Only the training required to run this race is spiritual,
not physical. Again it is Paul who is writing to the young Timothy as he begins
his preaching ministry. He wisely encourages Timothy by saying, “… physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present
life and the life to come.” (I Tim. 4:8) This is so true yet so overlooked by today’s health magazines.
So, I challenge you to put at least as much effort in your spiritual health, that transcends the mortal bonds of this
world, as you do in your physical health, that is here today and gone tomorrow. Train
yourself to be righteous. Train yourself for the race.
Ultimately
gang, it comes down to some basic questions: Do you want a crown in Heaven? Do
you want to experience the fullness of God’s presence in your life? Do
you want to lead a victorious Christian life? Do you want those spiritual endorphins
coursing through your brain? If you do there are no quick solutions, no fad substitutions
for the real deal. You need to run. Run
the race set before you “with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes
from the gospel of peace…” (Eph. 6:15). With Jesus there to pick you up, forgive your missteps, and guide your course, you will finish the
race with your faith intact (and so much stronger than when you started) and, if you have been true in His service, with a
crowd of faithful fellow-runners trailing you to victory.
Jesus is looking
for some runners. Interested? I
am.
Serving Him with you,
Evan
