Are You Running To Win?

The early church may not have had a Superbowl Sunday, but they were all certainly familiar with athletic contests. After all, the Olympic games started in that part of the world. No doubt wives have been shaking their heads for thousands of years wondering why their husbands get so excited at these contests.

Athletic contests are important, however. It's true. In fact, the apostle Paul even used athletic contests to illustrate spiritual truths. The principles which apply to athletics also apply to living the Christian life.

On any given Sunday, two teams will square off on the field of play. Each man on the field will be playing to win. But there is more to winning than what we see on that day. The outcome of the game will be the result of a process begun a long time ago.

The same is true of the Christian life. If we desire to win at life as a Christian then we must apply the same principles that athletes apply. After all, our Christian life has been described as a race and a warfare. The goal in a race or in warfare is to win, not to come in third. This is especially true if you are in a war! So, if you are in this race to win, then listen to the advice found in our text today.

Our text is 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

Those who were in Corinth were familiar with the Greek games. They had seen the athletic contests and races, perhaps even participating in them. They knew the dedication of the runners and the prize the winner received -- a garland of pine from a nearby forest formed into a crown and placed upon their brow. Paul takes this illustration and applies it to the race we run as Christians. He is giving us a blueprint for success. He is telling us how we can play to win.

The whole idea of the Christian life as a race is an intriguing one. Why compare it to a race? In other places, the Christian life is compared to a pilgrimage, and a walk. But here it is compared to a race. The same idea is probably behind this, as when the Christian life is compared to a warfare, or a fight. It is the idea that we are engaged in a strenuous activity. While a traveler can stop off at any beautiful spot along the way to rest, those engaged in a race must push themselves to the limit, straining muscles and heart and lungs -- if they are to win.

So we are involved in hard work. And we should be. After all, we are in a race that has for its prize an eternal reward. We are in a race where eternal issue are at stake. So, if any people ought to be hard at work, we ought to be, because we are working for the things which really count.

Compare our race with theirs -- those who run for earthly things. Here Paul uses the illustration of athletes in the Greek games. Indeed, we may use the illustration of modern day athletes as well. But it may also be applied equally well to those of our day who are involved in spending their energies and focusing their dreams on material success.

Have you ever noticed how hard some of us work at attaining some of those material things we think will make us happy or give us pleasure? People everywhere give themselves to what is important to them. And that is the point our text makes. The Lord is asking us to evaluate what our priorities should be. Look at the things people are working so hard to attain. They may be working for financial security. Or they may be working for business success. Some may be giving themselves to live a life of pleasure. Still others may be working for material possessions. The runner in the worldly race receives a crown which perishes. The garland which the Greek runner received was a symbol of the temporary pleasure and honor afforded to the one who had worked so hard for so many months in training for that race. What was so hard won, so quickly faded away.

But what do we receive when we run the race of the Christian life successfully? We receive an eternal reward, and imperishable crown, which never fades away. The reward for the Christian is not temporal but eternal. Our labor, our faithfulness, wins for us an enduring crown in glory. Our treasure is being laid up in heaven where no one can take it from us.

Now what is the plain implication of the text? What is the central lesson for us? It is this, that if people work so hard for those things which are temporary, how much more should we work for the things which are eternal? Indeed, what do you suppose would happen to the church if we all did? It would revolutionize the way things were done. What would happen in your own life if you totally abandoned yourself to God -- to the point where it affected your lifestyle? When D. L. Moody heard a man say, "The world has yet to see what God can do through a man totally dedicated to Him," he said in response, "Lord, I want to be that man." As a result, God used Mr. Moody to impact thousands of lives.

We have a race to run, and we need to run it to win. To do so, we must run it with determination. By that I mean that we must desire the things of God to the point where we work hard for them. We must give ourselves to the race, and not just in our spare time, but completely. Lenin said that he wanted fewer but better followers, men who would give him not just their spare evenings, but the whole of their lives. Jesus needs men and women like that. We must have a desire to win. We must run the race with determination. We must be determined to succeed in our Christian life.

Abraham Lincoln pointed out the importance of desire to a young man, Isham Reavis, who'd written Lincoln for advice. This is Lincoln's reply:

It takes more than a desire to win, however. We certainly must have that. We must have the determination that we are going to run the race all out -- to win. But good intentions are never enough. Someone said that prisons are full of people with good intentions.

What we must do is what the athlete had to do. We must train in such a way that will enable us to compete, but more than just compete, to win. And that will take dedication. We must run with dedication. There must be a commitment on our part to prepare, and to stick to it no matter what. We must train when we feel like it and when we don't. Otherwise, we will fail to finish the race. We will grow weary and quit.

Weariness, after all, is a reflection of our training. Those who are in good shape grow less weary than those in poor shape. It never ceases to amaze me how basketball players can play even when sick with the flu. I remember watching a couple of players play an important game with the flu. You would never have known they were sick. Of course, basketball players are in great shape. Basketball, unlike some sports, requires that they be in there running all the time. Because of this, they do not grow weary quickly. It is a function of their conditioning. It is a reflection of their training.

Now sometimes we grow weary in the work as Christians and then blame it, not on ourselves, but on other things. All of us get weary. And when we are weary we need to be refreshed. But if we give adequate attention to our spiritual conditioning, then we will grow less weary and we will not let our weariness cause us to quit. Jesus never said that all would be easy. But He did promise us that He would be with us in all things. Things sometimes get tough, and that is why we need to be ready to handle them. We need to be in good spiritual shape, and to do that we must train.

So how do we train? How do we prepare? Our text says that everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. In other words, we must take charge of ourselves and prepare for the race.

There is an interesting passage in Hebrews 12 concerning this very thing. There we read, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3).

The first step in our preparation is that we must shed those things which slow our progress. Hebrews talks about encumbrances or weights and sins. And we are told that we must lay aside these weights and sins. They slow our progress. In order to run well, you must run light. Any excessive baggage can make the difference in whether you finish or not.

Sins obviously make a big difference. Hebrews speaks of the sin which so easily entangles us. What it has in view is not merely a special sin but all sin. All sin entangles us. It trips us up. It impedes our progress.

Sin is not the only thing this passage has in view, however. Also mentioned are weights. At first glance you may think these are the same as sins. But they are not. While all sins are weights, not all weights are sins. Something may be in your life, that, while not intrinsically sinful, nonetheless slows your progress. What is in view is something which is unnecessary to the race. While it may be within the rules to run the Boston Marathon wearing a three piece suit and overcoat, it would be extremely foolish to do so. Sadly, there are many Christians running the race with loads of excess worldly baggage today. No wonder we get fatigued.

Ask yourself, do you have excess baggage in your Christian life? Many Christians are trying to see just how much of the world they can carry along with them and still finish the race. But we are not in the race to merely limp along, half-heartedly, while others pass us by. We are running to win. And we must run the Christian race as eagerly as we run for our incomes, or for our vacations, or for our recreation. It will take sacrifice and work and the shedding of things which do not help us along the way. But it is worth it. We have an eternal incorruptible crown awaiting us.

Now, not only are there things to put off, but there are things to put on. If we are to train effectively, we must train daily in communion with the Lord. This is the runner's diet. A daily time of feeding on the Word and communing with the Lord in prayer is essential to our having the strength not to grow weary. This is essential. You cannot emphasize this too much. Like a good diet, giving attention to your devotional life will cause you to increase in strength daily, until you are back in robust spiritual health. That is so important in running the race to win.

The runner in the Greek games trained with intense dedication for at least ten months prior to the race. He put his physical body under strict discipline, training hours a day for a few minutes of earthly glory. How much more should we be dedicated to strengthening our spiritual selves in the things of God in order to gain an eternal crown of glory, which will never fade away. Someone once said, "A man is no fool to give up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose."

Here Paul says I run in such a way, as not without aim. In other words, he had a purpose to his work. So must we. We must run with deliberation. We, like Paul, must run deliberately for the goal, which has already been chosen in advance of the race. We must know where the finish line is, and everything we do must be designed to carry us toward that goal.

If you were to ask many people what their goal in life is, they could give some kind of an answer. Some would tell you that their goal is to be able to get ahead financially so they will be able to retire in relative comfort. Others may tell you that their goal is to put their kids through college, thereby enabling them to have a better shot in life then they did. Some may say that their goal is to own their own business, and be their own boss, so that they could have more control over their own lives and futures. The list could go on.

All of these things are worthy things to work for. They are not bad or worldly. They are things we all think about. But if you were to ask many Christians what their goal in running the Christian race is, they may very well give you a blank stare. Many have never even thought of a purpose for their lives in terms of the Kingdom, much less planned out how they were going to get there. But we must clearly see the goal. And we must keep the goal in sight.

What is the goal? Well, Jesus is the goal, of course. Now that is not merely a simplistic answer. It may be if left at that. Some preachers may just shout out that Jesus is the goal and never define what that means or how it translates into daily living. Let me attempt to do so.

When I say that Jesus is the goal, I am only saying what Hebrews has already said. There we read that we are to run the race "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2). The KJV says, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." In other words, Jesus is both the end and the means to that end. He is both the goal of the race and the power by which we run. He is the author of our faith; He gives us the faith by which we run. And He is the perfecter of our faith; He brings us to the place of maturity, of finishing the race victoriously.

Practically speaking, Jesus is our goal in that we must be committed to become like Him. That is the reason we run. We are being conformed into His image. That is the purpose of God for every believer, to be molded in character, disposition, nature, heart, and will into the image of Christ, who is the image of God. Indeed, that is the only aim that is worthy to be the supreme and dominant one in your life.

Is that your goal? Do you live in light of becoming conformed to the image of Jesus Christ? Are you trying to order your lifestyle toward that end? Are you seeking to give yourself to Him as the Master of your priorities? Are you giving your time, energy, talents, and tithe to the local church which is the tangible expression of the Kingdom of God on the earth?

You need to think through these issues. Only as you put your hand to the work do you put yourself in a position to be conformed to the image of Christ. It is not enough to have once worked. You can never sit back and say you've done enough. There are no retired Christians in the Kingdom. Salvation is never spoken of in the Bible as some past tense experience, as if once you've gotten it, there's nothing else expected. We must put our hand to the work daily, if we would be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is not only our goal, but He is the power to attain that goal. As we look to Jesus, as we fix our eyes on Him, as we commune with Him, as we draw upon Him, we will find ourselves on the receiving end of the resources we need to run the race victoriously. He gives you the strength to run with His goal clearly fixed in your mind. He gives you the power to run and not grow weary, to walk and not faint. Isaiah says that this power is given to those who wait upon the Lord.

We are told in Hebrews to look to Jesus. Look at what He suffered so we would not grow weary and lose heart. Look at what He endured at the hands of sinful men. Surely, if we see what He endured for us, we should be willing to give our all for Him. He has shown us it will take our all. And He has committed to us that He will give us His power to overcome. After all, He has already given us His all.

So don't look at the task, look at the goal. Don't fret over the limited resources you have, draw upon His unlimited provision. Make Him your goal. Make Him your source. Wait upon Him. Give yourself to Him in a new way. Cry out to Him as your only hope. Come to the Lord and keep coming. Call out to the Lord, and keep calling. Don't give up until you have what you need. He will be there for you.