“I am so tired. What an exhausting week this has been.” Sound familiar? If you’re a mother, father, brother, sister, friend, grandparent, or breathing then it should. Tired. It’s a feeling that eventually catches up with us. The Bible has often compared our lives to a race.
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:14 (ESV)
The thoughts of a race usually invoke an image of a competition pitting competitors against one another. However, for the Christian, it’s not a matter of being the “best”, but a matter of finishing the race. A race run towards the prize of heaven.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
II Timothy 4:7 (ESV)
In our humanness we often neglect our bodies in our pursuit of getting the job done. We may not eat as good as we should and forget that Chick-fil-A is really not a food group. We may not get enough sleep and begin to believe that three power naps substitute for a good night’s sleep. As we think about our spiritual race it’s the same. We try to stay engaged on the surface but are we depleting our spiritual bodies? Sitting in the pew on Sunday is not a substitution for our personal time spent connecting with God through his Word and through prayer. Disciplining our minds to seek after Him takes practice and commitment. I am speaking to myself most of all as I strive to fit all my self-appointed tasks into my day. When my race is done, I want to know that my prize will be the voice of the Father saying “Well done good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)
24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
I Corinthians 9:24-25 (ESV)
Giving God the Glory 