Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Start (01/16/06)
-
TITLE: The Christian Runner | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ray Hoover
01/19/06 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Past experiences had taught me to remain focused to the path in front of me. But I just had to know where the others were in relation to me. So I quickly turned my head to take a look. As I did I seemed to start slowing down. So I quickly turned my head back and again focused on the path in front of me.
I immediately thought to myself, “Why didn’t I listen to that voice on the inside of me that told me to keep my focus straight ahead? Now I would probably lose the race because I did not listen to my training”. I continued to run with all my might but I had lost too much ground. As a result I finished in fifth place.
I thought to myself, “Next time I will do better”. I had learned not to allow this defeat to get me discouraged and to put this event in the past. So I began to focus on the next event. I had four hours to rest and get ready for that event.
About a third of the way into the four hour break I sensed in my heart an urgency to have a devotional time. I had been a Christian for a few years so I could recognize when the Lord wanted to show something to me. I tried to dismiss the thought because I thought that this was not the time to relax my focus on the next race. But still the urgency for devotions seemed to persist. So I decided to set aside about fifteen minutes for them.
Before I started the devotions I asked the Lord to help me see what He wanted me to see. He reminded that Paul talked about runners in a race. So I looked up the scripture in the concordance and turned to I Corinthians 9:24. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain”. (KJV)
When I read the next verse I realized that a disciplined life was just as important to our Christian race as it is to running a race in athletic games. I had been having problems in my Christian life and had been asking the Lord what I should do next. It is interesting to me that the Lord used the physical race I was in as an object lesson for me. I knew about the hard training and discipline it took for my physical race so that I could win. I needed to use the same intensity in training and discipline for running my Christian race.
Once I started intently focusing on running my Christian race my life has not been problem free. But now I am not easily discouraged by my past defeats. I have learned to ask God for forgiveness, keep running, and to keep my eyes focused on the prize before me. The following verse helps me to remain focused. Hebrews 12:2a “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (KJV)
So, get ready. Set. GO!
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.