How to Run a Race

“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 . . . So I do not run aimlessly.” (I Corinthians 9:24 and 26, ESV)

I am not a morning person, but occasionally I find myself out in the pre-dawn hours as I drive a friend to the airport for an early flight. It amazes me when I see a lone figure up ahead determinedly jogging. I wonder at the passion that compels someone to be out at such an early hour just to run.

Running is more than just putting one foot in front of the other and starting out. As one runner’s blog stated, “My friend implicitly understood that there was a difference between wanting to start running and wanting to become a runner.”

PREPARATION COMES FIRST

Running requires preparation. It is not a spur-of-the-moment, haphazard type thing. It requires the right shoes for support and dressing appropriately for conditions. The runner also needs a good diet and good hydration. But none of this is sufficient without dedication and determination.

Many runners set a goal of completing a marathon. This 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) race requires dedication and months of training. It is not for the faint-hearted but it brings great satisfaction to the one who persevered.

STEPS TO RUNNING

The apostle Paul makes numerous references to running in his letters to the New Testament churches. Through the epistles we learn not how to run a marathon but how to run the most important race of all — a race with eternal rewards.

To become a runner, we take these steps:

We make running a priority. We cannot wait until we “find time” for the things of God. Our lives will always be too busy unless we build this into our daily schedule. (Read Matthew 6:33; Deuteronomy 4:29; Psalm 105:4.)

We practice self-discipline. “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:27, NKJV)

We equip ourselves. We must wear the right footwear and correct clothing. Instructions are found in Ephesians 6:13-17.

We increase our endurance, To do this, we must feed on God’s Word and drink deeply in the Spirit through prayer. (Read II Timothy 2:15 and 3:16 and Ephesians 6:18.)

We run with excellence.  Someone once explained that “Running is about consistency more than intensity.”

WINNING THE PRIZE

Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) overcame childhood polio to win three Olympic gold medals for track and field, How did Wilma accomplish this? Through determination and refusing to give up. “I ran and ran every day, and I acquired a sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.”

We run in this Christian life not for gold medals but for eternal rewards. But we can never win the race unless we start the race. We may face obstacles along the way — rough terrain, steep hills, stormy weather, or blistering heat. But if we keep running, we will receive the prize.

“And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” (I Corinthians 9:25, NKJV)

Devotion by Mary Loudermilk