[This article is based on the notes from the devotional given at Redeemer Baptist Church's member's meeting on May 5th]
As many of you know I ran a rather long race a few days ago. It's the limping and the groaning that gave it away, right? However, I would like to point out that I limped into the pulpit the very next day and did not mention the race even one time. I resisted the urge to preach a sermon with running analogies generously sprinkled throughout. I thought that that would be "cringe" as the youth say. But this is a devotional given at a member's meeting, so I can be as "cringe" as I want to be.
The reason I want to talk about running today is not just because it is on my mind. Although it is. I found myself taking strides in my sleep the last couple of nights, just trying to get some more steps in, a few more kilometers under me, apparently. But the reason I want to talk about running is because the Bible talks about running. Running is an illustration that the Apostle Paul uses more than a few times.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
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. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
In Galatians 2 Paul describes his whole ministry to the Gentiles as a run. He says he wants to be sure that he "was not running or had not run in vain". He uses the same image in Philippians 2, and famously in 2 Timothy 4: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.
Now it is disputable whether or not Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews. So, without getting into that discussion let's just say Paul or the writer to the Hebrews used running as an illustration for discipleship. And this is perhaps the most famous running passage of all:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
There are a few themes that recur in these passages. And I believe they can be helpful to us as we consider both our individual Christians lives, and our life and ministry as the church together.
1. Self-discipline is required
Running a race is not something that you can just go and do on a whim, especially not a race of any significant length. Marathons and even five-kilometer park runs take training to do well. And the more competitive you want to be, the greater volume of training is required. One of the benefits of signing up for a race is exactly this – the upcoming race forces you to train and therefore grow in your self-discipline.
And self-discipline, or self-control, is a much-needed biblical virtue. Time and time again we are commanded to be self-controlled. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. One of the great things about self-discipline is that it is contagious. It is contagious to others in your life, but it even tends to spread within your own life. Once you build that "muscle" in one area, other areas of life often follow. Paul tells Timothy to train himself for godliness and then he adds: for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8). I have found that one of the valuable things about bodily training has been its connection to mental and spiritual training, that is its connection to godliness. The more you grow in self-control in any area, the more you grow in self-control in every area. There may be some exceptions to this, but I have found it to be the case.
But the Christian life is a race. And in order to run a race you have to be self-controlled, you have to have discipline. Notice even the connection between the word discipline and disciple – there is an overlap in meaning there. Jesus told us to deny ourselves and take up our crosses on the path of discipleship. In the race of Christian discipleship there is a need to grow in self-control and self-discipline. This is exactly what Paul said to the Corinthians: Every athlete exercises self-control in all things… But I discipline my body and keep it under control. We must do this spiritually.
2. Endurance is required
Long races have highs and they have lows. And so does the Christian life. And so does ministry. Especially the ministry of church planting and building up a local church. We need to remember this as we serve the Lord year by year, even week by week. It can be easy to get discouraged when we don't see the results that we want to see. But that's short-term, short-race, thinking. We need to picture our lives and our ministries as long ultra-marathons. We need to accept the fact that the finish line is somewhere way ahead of us, and that in the meantime we just need to put one foot in front of the other.
The Christian life is often like that – a long obedience in the same direction – as one writer put it. Just do the next right thing, the next good work that God has prepared for you to walk in. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Each kilometer has enough steps. Just work on what God has in front of you right now. That is how you run a long race without burning out – one step at a time. Endurance.
3. Sin can trip us up and the world can weigh us down
Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
It has always been interesting to me that there are two categories here to deal with. Weights and sins. Sin is obvious – it is anything against God's holy law and character. These sins cling so closely. They are like branches and roots snaking across the path, tripping us up. Or better yet, they are like baggy articles of clothing that are dragging and getting under foot. The Lord says lay them aside. Stop holding onto those sins. They keep tripping you.
The other category is different – weight. I take this to be things that are not sinful in and of themselves, but they are also not helpful. They aren't tripping you up, but they are still slowing you down. In my recent race I had mandatory gear that I had to carry until the second aid station at kilometer 35. There I was able to leave the mandatory gear in my drop-bag and go without it. These were things like a minimum amount of water, a minimum calorie supply of food, a jacket, and an emergency blanket. I dropped the jacket, the blanket, and all the food I didn't need. Why? Because when you are running the last thing you want is to carry unnecessary weight. So it is in the Christian life and in ministry. What are those things that are in your life, but they aren't helping you run after Jesus at all? What are those things that our church is doing that aren't really fulfilling the mission? When we identify these things, we need to obey the text – lay them aside.
4. Rewards of glory are the motivation
I think a lot of us struggle here. We want to be altruistic and serve God for no self-interested reason at all. That sounds good to us, and feels like the right move. But it is so wrong-headed. The fact is we are creatures and God is our Creator. We will always be the beneficiaries and He will always be the benefactor. If we serve God with all our might – do you know who benefits from that? We do. God doesn't need us. God doesn't need anything. When He invites us to serve Him and to follow Christ, it is ultimately for His glory – but that glory is also our joy. John Piper said it best here: God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him. For the Christian, serving God is our heart's delight. And the more we can serve Him and know Him the more we enjoy Him.
Paul mentions this with the idea of running to get the prize. 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. We are supposed to have great goals in mind with the Christian life and with ministry. We should aim to win. And therefore we should pray big prayers. We shouldn't settle for less. We shouldn't seek to have a bare minimum Christian life. We shouldn't seek to have a bare minimum impact as a local church. We should strain forward with all of God's energy working so powerfully within us, to go the farthest we can go, the fastest we can go, to be at the head of the pack. And this is not selfish ambition – this is godly ambition. You are expressly permitted to be bold and ambitious here.
In the end we are looking for His well done my good and faithful servant. That is what we want to hear. We are running, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, and yet it is our heavenly Father and Him alone that we are running for. We run for an audience of One. And because that is the case we have every reason to run with everything we've got. We run for the joy that is set before us. We run looking to Jesus. We run looking for our heavenly reward, where we will dwell with our God beyond the finish line.