It is finished.

The last phrase is often translated “run with patience,” but seems more appropriately to be translated “bear up courageously.”  It is used throughout the New Testament and is most often associated with suffering for one’s faith.  Paul wrote, “Because I preach the Good News I suffer, and I am even chained…and for this reason I endure everything for the sake of God’s chosen people, in order that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus (II Tim. 2:10-11).”

My son’s cross country coach made a statement about cross country that I had never considered, which might also be said of other races including marathons.  He said that unlike other sports there are no breaks, no timeouts, no half-times, no stoppage of plays.  Once you start the race, you run until it is finished.  Paul wrote to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (II Tim. 4:7).”  In Paul, there was no quit.

To keep running requires endurance.  I have never run a marathon and can only imagine how difficult it is to keep running for that length of time.  I have however been a follower of Christ for over 30 years and it has often felt like an endurance contest.  Along the way, I have seen others who have given up, who found it too hard, that it required too much, that they would rather be doing something else which offered more immediate gratification.  Are we willing to endure everything in order to run the race that has been set out, appointed for us to run?

 
I have been inspired by some of my patients who had to endure chronic pain.  One was a woman who told me every time we met, “I am still here.”  That meant that she hadn’t given in, though she had often thought how much easier it would be to just give up so that she could be pain-free.  She was referring to taking her own life.  But, she believed that, as long as God chose to let her live, there must be a purpose for her life.  And, she wanted to know what it was and see it accomplished.

It may not make us popular or win us glory or fame.  In fact, Jesus told His disciples, “…all men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm (endures) to the end will be saved (Matt. 10:22; 24:12).”  And, we may be able to help others to be saved as well.

Run...with endurance! (Part 2)

 “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 (Heb. 12:1).”

Commentators see the “weight” referred to as the bodily weight (literally “bulk” or “mass”) that would obviously be a liability for the athlete running a race or participating in almost any contest, something that the athlete would need to eliminate in order to be successful.  What weight or excess baggage are you carrying that is preventing you from running the race that has been set out for you?  Anything that is a part of your life that burdens you in some way is something that needs to be removed.

Maybe it has to do with a personal habit that you know you need to give up or change in some way.  Maybe it is something that isn’t necessarily a major sin, but you know that God has been asking you to let go of for quite some time.  Maybe you are carrying around a load of guilt and regrets for things you have done in the past.  Maybe it is worry that is weighing you down.  Maybe fear is what keeps you from moving forward and living the life that God wants to give you.  Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30).”  It is quite obvious that God never intended to lay such weight upon us that we would be unable to endure and live out His purposes for us.  If you feel like some great weight has been placed upon you, it isn’t God who put it there.

The reference here to the “sin which clings so closely,” in the Greek has to do with that which can so easily constrict or squeeze us (think python here), because it is so much a part of our lives, e.g., in our work-settings, our friendships, or our personal circumstances.  At times, we may have trouble even realizing that it has this effect on us.  But, we feel it.  The root of the Greek word is often translated “distress.”  This type of sin has the potential to create further stress in our lives and restrain us, keeping us from being able to run at all.

In order to run with perseverance the race marked out for us we need to lay aside the things that are weighing us down, remove the sins or remove ourselves from the situations, relationships, or circumstances that have the potential to cause us such distress as to, literally, choke the life out of us.

What weight do you need to lay aside?  What changes do you need to make in your life so that the stress isn’t keeping you from being able to run your race?

Run...with perseverance!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…(Heb. 12:1).”

The author here, presumably Paul, reminds these early Christians of the heroes of their faith, men and women who had endured persecution, suffering, and even death, because of their beliefs.  They were witnesses who had run their own races and were there to encourage and give an example to follow.  Most of us have had those that we have looked up to, who have been an example for us and encouraged us in our faith development—parents, Sunday School teachers, youth group leaders, and others.  Most likely, none of them have died for what they stood for, but their dedication to their faith and their witness has influenced us in some way.  The witnesses Paul speaks of had paid dearly for practicing their faith.  We often speak of having a witness, but seldom do we think it will cost us in the same way.  Yet, we are called to be witnesses (Matt. 18:18-20).  And, sometimes we are called to bear witness in the midst of difficult situations.  One of my favorite witnesses was Cecil.

Cecil was in her late 80s when I met her in a nursing home and she had been there awhile.  Cecil had cancer and because of the chemotherapy, her bones had become brittle.  One day, she fell in her own home and broke her neck and became paralyzed from the neck down.  Cecil and I met every week for almost a year after that before she died.  She often wondered why God would allow her to continue to live when it seemed she had so little to offer.  Cecil was not feeling sorry for herself, but wanted to feel useful.  All of her adult life, she had been a faithful witness, a Sunday School teacher, a mentor to younger women, had written books and poetry, and served the Lord in many other ways, and now she felt useless.

My encouragement to Cecil was that if the Lord chose for her to remain in her situation and in her condition, He had a plan to use her in some way.  I encouraged her to take stock of what she had left that God could use, and to trust that what she had was enough.  What Cecil still had was an audience.  Cecil had more visitors than any other resident of that nursing home.  I encouraged Cecil to use her ears to listen, her mind to consider, her mouth to speak and counsel and to encourage others.  In other words, I encouraged her to continue to witness.  Even her smile could be a witness to the ones that waited on her and an encouragement to them, that one could have joy no matter the circumstances.

What keeps you from being a witness?  Maybe it is something tangible, like the physical disability that Cecil had to endure; maybe it is something not so visible, like a fear or a perception that we aren’t worthy to serve in God’s kingdom.  Maybe it is a doubt that God is able to work through you.  Paul wrote to the Romans, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).”  God can use us no matter our circumstances.  We just need to make ourselves available.

Who stepped in on you?

In the 1984 Olympics, American champion Mary Decker competed with the darling of South Africa, a runner by the name of Zola Budd in a 3000 meter race.  As the runners were nearing the finish line, Zola Budd attempted to pass the other runners on the outside and stepped in on Mary Decker, causing her to stumble.  Mary Decker attempted to regain her balance, but another contact sent her sprawling to the ground.

This is the image I always picture when I read Paul’s comments to the Galatian church, “You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth (Gal. 5:7)?”  The question Paul was asking was addressed to a church that was being misled into following laws from which Christ had set them free.  Paul wanted them to remember that they had been saved by grace in spite of what others were trying to get them to believe.  As a result of their listening to these others, they were actually falling away from grace and missing out on the blessings available to them in Christ Jesus.

Many of us are like that.  We believe we have to submit to a particular lifestyle, practice certain habits, or give up certain things, in order to please God.  This may result in our resenting the intrusiveness of the Lord in our lives, feeling as though we are restricted by what He expects of us.   In Psalm 118:5, the writer states, “In my anguish, I cried to the Lord, and He answered me by setting me free.”  Zorn, in interpreting this passage, believes the writer is saying that God takes him from a place of distress, a “narrow place” to a “broad, wide-open place,” a place where he is freer to move around.  In other words, rather than keeping us from enjoying ourselves as we often think, the Lord wants to give us even more options and better ones.  As David writes, God wants to give you the “desires of your heart (Ps. 37:4).”

As we run our race, we need to be on watch for those who would mislead us into believing something other than the truth.  Paul wrote, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (v. 25).”  In order to experience God’s blessings on our family, our work, our personal lives, we need to continually be developing our ability to discern what the Lord would have us to do.  We can only know the truth through reading the Scripture, and continually being in prayer about these things.  But, as we discover the truth and are able to discern what the Lord has in mind, we will begin to experience the joy that comes from the abundant life that He wants for each one of us.

Godspeed

Run...to win!

“I don’t drink and I don’t chew and I don’t go out with girls who do.”  Somehow this is where I arrived as I was trying to explain to Jacob, my 10-year-old, that we are to do good, but doing good wasn’t enough to get you into heaven.

Paul tried to help the Corinthians with this same issue.  Many of them were still practicing the forms of legalism they had given in to before they had become Christians.  At the same time, other Christians were not inclined to submit to any law, believing they had been delivered by Christ from having to do so.  Their use of that freedom resulted in overindulgence and conflict with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and was hurting their witness.

In one sense they were both right, but in another sense, they were both wrong.  As Christians, we do not live by a list of dos and don’ts.  Yet, we must be careful that the “exercise of our freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak (I Cor. 8:9).”  We are to live out our lives as we are prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so.  This means that there may be some things that are okay for us to do, but others that are wrong; because, they get in the way of what the Lord wants to do in our lives, especially as He may want to use us to witness to the world around us.

What was most important to Paul was to live his life in such a way as to win others to Christ.  He tried to be “all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (9:22).”  He used the analogy of a race.  For him, it wasn’t enough to just run the race.  He wanted to win the prize…to help others to know the Savior.  He did not need to live by a bunch of rules.  He knew he was free to do what he wanted; but, in order to reach others, he would have to watch out for what would prevent others from listening to the message of the Good News.

We, too, need to watch out for what might hurt our witness to others.  As Paul describes, we may need to go into “strict training” so that we are not “disqualified,” so that we don’t lose our audience when they see how we live.  This may mean a regular practice of reading the Scripture and praying, meeting with other Christians who can help us to grow and hold us accountable, putting into practice the things that we learn from the Word, and learning to let go of those things that may interfere with our witness to others.

Run the race…but, run to win!