A friend of mine had been practising running for weeks. "I mean to win the silver cup," he told me.
On the day of the race I watched him speed down the track well ahead of all the others. Surely I was about to see him fulfil his ambition. But even as I thought it-disater struck! He stumbled and fell to his knees. But was it a disaster? In a flash he was on his feet again and on he raced to win the cup.
When I congratulated him I mentioned the fall that nearly cost him the race, and that had certinaly grazed his knees.
"I didn't stop to look at my knees, I just kept my eyes on the winning post," he grinned.
Winning a race requires purpose and discipline. If we use the above story from a Christian point then we will see that this illustration explains that the Christian life takes hard work, self-denial and gruelling preparation. as Christians we are running towards our heavenly reward. Prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina that enables us to win the race. We must not just observe from the grandstand, we can't just decide to jog a few laps then give up, we need to train because our spiritual progress depends on it.
On the day of the race I watched him speed down the track well ahead of all the others. Surely I was about to see him fulfil his ambition. But even as I thought it-disater struck! He stumbled and fell to his knees. But was it a disaster? In a flash he was on his feet again and on he raced to win the cup.
When I congratulated him I mentioned the fall that nearly cost him the race, and that had certinaly grazed his knees.
"I didn't stop to look at my knees, I just kept my eyes on the winning post," he grinned.
1 CORINTHIANS 9; 24-25 has this to say about another kind of race.....
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict trainning. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict trainning. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Winning a race requires purpose and discipline. If we use the above story from a Christian point then we will see that this illustration explains that the Christian life takes hard work, self-denial and gruelling preparation. as Christians we are running towards our heavenly reward. Prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina that enables us to win the race. We must not just observe from the grandstand, we can't just decide to jog a few laps then give up, we need to train because our spiritual progress depends on it.
