3 Truths that Will Help You Finish Your Race Well

I have to admit that this year’s Winter Olympics captured my attention a bit.  Part of me couldn’t help but take notice of some of the training involved with being an athlete of such epic proportions.  I was inspired by the snow boarders who came barreling down the summit, or how the ice skaters dipped and twirled with such grace.  They made it all look so effortless and easy.  Then I realized it was because they had been trained up from a young age to finish their race well.  They were in a race to win the gold medal.

I got to thinking.  As followers of Christ we are also in a race.

A race of faith.

A race that’s dependent on endurance and stamina.  It isn’t a sprint, but rather a full fledged marathon where we also have an end prize to look forward to.  As with any athlete our end is dependent on how well we run our race.  We might start strong but what does that say about our middle or end?

Jesus demonstrated how imperative it was to stay connected to the vine and keep going no matter what kind of opposition arose.  He was beaten, mistreated, falsely accused, and hated, yet He still fulfilled His purpose.  He still finished well.  Perfectly, in fact.

So today what can we learn about finishing our own race well?  I’ve discovered three truths that will help you as you head to your finish line.

Be Well Trained 

Athletes do not fill up on sugary sweets and empty calories before they are to compete.  They watch what they eat and get their bodies well trained up for the event they are trying to win.  There are months of strenuous exercise to endure to get their bodies in shape and their minds prepared for the challenges awaiting them.  They buy uniforms and gear that will help them succeed.  They don’t get hunkered down with extra equipment, but instead put on what will help them.

It is imperative to our walk that we get into spiritual shape and put on the armor of God.  As we run this race of faith there will be incidents that arise that will threaten to take us out.  If we aren’t spiritually equipped we become susceptible to the ploys of the enemy and vulnerable to attack.  We have the equipment that will give us victory and the Holy Spirit who guides us every step of the way.

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run with purpose in every step.  I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training to do what it should.  Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
1 Corinthians 9: 24-27  NLT

In order to stay in the right path once the race has started you have to pay attention to the God’s truth.  His truths are found in one place and that is in the Word of God.  To study it is to know it.  Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, you will be able to put the truths within scripture into action.

“And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules”
2 Timothy 2:5  NLT

Support Your Team

I noticed that when each Olympic member competed they had their own teammates on the sidelines cheering them on.  Even though only one of them would win the gold they were overjoyed when one of their own claimed the prize.  That was because they each had hearts for the their team member.  The winner still represented their nation.

As believers in Christ and fellow brothers and sisters in the faith we are to be of one accord and be united in Spirit.  We already have an army of enemies out there seeking to destroy us.  Too often you hear about division and strife within the family of God and it should not be so.

“Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed.  A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.”
Matthew 12: 25  NLT

Even though the scriptures talk about us being in a race of faith it does not mean that we are in this to compete against each other.  Instead we are to be lifting each other up and helping each other across the finish line.  Our adversary, the devil, is there trying to trip us up so we can stumble and fall.  How much more should we be encouraging each other to keep going.  We cannot do that if we are too busy trying to outdo each other.

“Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.”
Philippians 2:2  NLT

There is no room for competition when you are part of the great commission. Share on X

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11  NLT

Keep Your Eye On the Prize

When you watch athletes compete in a race you don’t see them looking sideways at each other but they keep their eyes dead ahead.  There is focus with each step and a rhythm that cannot afford to be disrupted.  The crowd may cheer and a competitor may take the lead but the athlete stays fixed on the end result…the finish line.  They know they only have one chance to succeed and they stay determined till the end.

As it should be with us.

If our eyes aren’t fixated on Jesus then we are vulnerable to falling into a pattern of sin.  Our hearts become victim to lies and bondage that slow us down or even derail us from our faith.  By the power of the Holy Spirit we can strip off everything that holds us back and run with determination in each step.  With this kind of spiritual discipline we will be strengthened in Christ and stripped of the shame that accompanies compromised living and comparison.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith…”
Hebrews 12: 1-2  NLT

Through Christ and only through Christ will we inherit what is promised.  Heaven is our prize.  Spending eternity with God in worship and praise is what we have to look forward to.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:14 NLT Share on X

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  And now the prize awaits me–the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return.  And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.
2 Timothy 4: 7-8  NLT

Be blessed in the Lord,