37 days ago, the quadrennial 2012 Summer Olympic games came to a conclusion in grandiose fashion. Afterwards, I was left thinking about which events I enjoyed most; and I must admit, the men’s 4x100 relay topped my list. If you watched the race then you’re aware that the Jamaican team won -- led by the lightening fast Usain Bolt. Witnessing the shear talent and ability of the runners was exciting and exhilarating…but for me, the careful attention to detail was just as impressive. Speed was not the only variable that led to the Jamaicans victory; they also had to successfully stay within the confines of the established competition rules. Which, to name a few included: starting the race, staying on the track, staying in the assigned LANE and ultimately crossing the FINISH LINE. To the participants, most of these things probably seemed relatively rudimentary independent of the gold medal at stake and millions of viewers observing every move.
Well, paramount to the Olympic race introduced, there is a “race” that all Christians have been assigned to compete in. Interestingly enough, its “rules of competition” closely mirror those mentioned above:
Starting the Race
In order to effectively compete to complete this race that has been set before us by God, our creator; it is vital that we first understand that a race exists and that we’ve been chosen to participate in it. Each of us has a specific purpose that has associated assignments. All of which work together to help us reach our divine destiny. The road by which we travel to reach this destiny can be viewed as a “track,” and the journey itself can be viewed as the “race.” However, please note, the gunshot is not fired (race does not begin) until we commit our lives to Jesus Christ by confessing that He is Lord (Romans 10:9).
Stay on Track
How sad would it be to see a world-class athlete, with world-class speed, compete in a race and fail to stay on the track? After we begin the “race” it is imperative that we stay on track! We were created to glorify God by successfully walking within our purpose and reaching our pre-established destiny. Satan, God’s adversary, would love nothing more then to make an attempt at robbing God of his splendor by persuading us to get of track. Now, we know that God can never be robbed of His splendor because He is omnipotent and cannot be defeated; however, this does not discount the fact that our adversary will make constant attempts to distract us from reaching the finish line. The finish line represents our place of destiny, similar to the land of milk and honey (Canaan) promised to the Israelites by God (Gen. 17:8; Deut. 11:24). Satan often specializes in sending distractions that have NOTHING to do with the race at hand. Furthermore, he specializes in tricking us to focus on the runners in surrounding lanes which can cause us to get off track. Understand that each of us are unique and apart of this uniqueness means that we have a distinct destiny. Therefore, no matter how great the temptation, it is never wise for us to compare our progress, or accomplishments with someone else! Stay on Track!
Stay in Ya’ Lane
However trivial it may sound, as participants in the race, we mustn’t forget to STAY IN OUR LANE! In Philippians 3:12 – 14 (NIV), the Apostle Paul said this:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
A few lessons can be learned from these verses. First, Paul understood that he was running a race and that he was a work in progress as are we. In the same vein, he also understood that he had to press during the race. The term “press” is key because this implies that while racing there WILL be opposition and adversity. If not, there would be no need to “press.”
Second, Paul remained humble while racing and knew that in order to get to the “prize” or the finish line; he had to stay in his lane! And to stay in his lane he had to forget what was behind and strain towards what was ahead (run past and through the distractions).
Cross the Finish line
Luke 9:62 declares: Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus makes it clear that once we put our hand to the plow (or once we start the race), we should have a mindset to complete our work (race). It is of utmost importance to keep a winning mindset while running our race and the finish line should also be at the fore front of our cerebral cortex. The moment we give our lives to Christ and start the race we've already won, however; it is still up to us to make this materialize in our lives. Our perseverance coupled with our faith in God’s divine word can serve as a catalyst for this materialization; but ultimately work MUST be done to CROSS THE FINISH LINE!
So, I said that to say this ---> a gold medal called DESTINY awaits you…..don’t stand her up!
