Chapter 11 – Running the Race (from the book UNLIKELY)
Chapter 11
Running the Race
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1—NIV
We are all running in some form of race. Whether we are running to the cadence of our own drumbeat while we are pursuing our own selfish paths, or whether we are running “the race marked out for us,” we are all, in essence, running somewhere. We are either running toward God or away from God. Either we are coaching ourselves and telling ourselves how to get the job done our way, or we are being coached by God and instead we are listening to His wisdom and following His instruction.
Some of us are in an all-out sprint, as if our hair was on fire. What’s the hurry? Are we possibly missing the point and missing God along the way? If this is you, I have words of caution for you: Watch Out! Burn out is around the corner for you. It is impossible to run full speed without giving out early; we cramp, dehydrate, collapse, etc. Maybe an analogy will spell it out to you. Imagine you were to put your car in first gear, put the pedal to the floor, and then rev up your engine to the point of red-lining it. A wonderfully made engine that could take you well over 100,000 miles down the road when driven responsibly could be completely burned out in a matter of a mile or two when driven this way. It is no different for our bodies, our minds, or our spirits. There is a balance that needs to be maintained. The journey is a long one, and we need to pace ourselves if we intend to finish the race God’s way.
Some of us are sitting on the sidelines resting and catching our breath and are content to just sit and watch others pass us by. We are losing our position, our role, our passion. We haven’t gotten back in the race since we decided to sit down and take a break. Why did we sit down in the first place? Why haven’t we dusted ourselves off, stretched, loosened up, and headed out toward our ultimate destination? What happened to our conviction and that fire that was burning in our bellies? Have we forgotten our inspiration that keeps us running? Where are we going? Do we even care to go there? Why are we so apathetic? What happened to our endurance and motivation?
Think about what the previous verse (Hebrews 12:1) is saying to us. First of all, we do have an audience (“cloud of witnesses”) that surrounds us every day of our lives. Just imagine the thought that everyone is watching us to see how we are “performing” as we travel through this life. Rather intimidating, isn’t it? If more of us would live as if everyone was watching, perhaps we would have better behavior, or at least, more consistent behavior and not be so lazy, apathetic, or hypocritical.
Speaking of audiences, I like to imagine my close friends seeing my spiritual progress. I also like to picture my loved ones who have already completed their journey through this life being able to watch my progress from heaven. I even picture God, Jesus, and the angels in heaven witnessing my progress. Thinking about the far-reaching aspects of our “cloud of witnesses” helps me personally not lose sight of the finish line. Whether the world is watching me or not, I know that God is watching my every step. His opinion of how I am running my race is of much greater value to me. God is the only one that needs to be impressed with my performance in my race.
Key Thought:
How we run our race matters.
What we seldom think about is the impact that we have on other people’s lives as a result of the way in which we chose to live our own lives. While running our race, we come in contact with thousands of people and we touch these people in the most subtle of ways, but we are able to leave a lasting impression on them without even knowing we have done it. It is so important as a disciple of Christ that we leave people that pass through our lives with a touch of God’s loving grace. It is like a saying that I have always loved: “Leave a place better than you found it.”
Key Thought:
We should leave people better than when we found them.
It should be said of us that we left a lasting “good” impression—an impression of God’s loving grace and mercy—on all those with whom we have come in contact. The truth is, if people don’t see God’s love in us and in the way we live our lives, treat others, and communicate God’s truth, we have somehow missed the mark.
We need to decide which race we want to run in. Maybe you are running hard, but you are running with the wrong motivations. Perhaps you are running in the wrong race altogether and haven’t stopped to notice the road signs (warning signs) along the way that tell you to turn around. Caution: Danger Ahead—Turn Back!
The Bible says that a tree is known by its fruit. As professing Christians, we should always be ready to give an answer to the following question.
Question:
What fruit is your life producing?
As hard as it is to ask ourselves tough questions, the hardest part is being honest with ourselves and having a willingness to admit that we might be running in the wrong direction. Does your daily walk (daily race) show any sign to others that God is in control of your life? Do people see that your life bears witness to the life-changing power of God? If it doesn’t, you have a choice. The beauty of God’s plan is that you can call to Him and ask Him for directions and He will lead you back to the path that leads you home.
I know the world is watching my progress because I know it is harder to live the life of a disciple of Christ than to live without a moral compass and stand for nothing sacred. The world (and sadly, often our Christian brothers and sisters) loves to pounce on a Christian when they fall because it gives them “proof” that all disciples of Christ are nothing but hypocrites. You and I know that this is not true, but the world sees our falls and our failures as opportunities to discredit the Christian faith that much more—all the more reason to run the race with integrity and steadfastness.
Anyone can lead a life of self-indulgence and be morally bankrupt, but I dare anyone to attempt to live out the Christian lifestyle without the life-changing power of Christ. It is impossible. We need God. Yes, we fail again and again and again. Who cares? What matters is that we consistently look to God for wisdom, guidance, direction, etc. Christians are easy targets when they falter. I am no better than anyone else. I think I have probably made more mistakes than most people. I have failed at so many things, but the difference with me is that I recognize my own weakness and my need for a Savior. Without God in my life, I would be lost in every sense of the word. With God in my life, I have been able to learn from my failures, recognize my need and dependence upon Him and go on to accomplish so many wonderful things.
Let’s look at Hebrews 12:1 again:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1—NIV
Something that stands out to me in this verse is the thought of “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” I have heard it said probably about a million times that we all have “baggage.” Imagine running a race while literally carrying baggage. Talk about a hindrance! It would be hard to get into a rhythm if, while we were running, we were lugging around a backpack, a suitcase, a briefcase, etc. We need to put it all down (“throw off everything”) and take off running (“with perseverance”). The only thing that we should be carrying is our cross that we pick up daily. We have no chance of winning the race if we are so bogged down with everything else.
We all have sinned (Romans 3:23), and our sin hinders our ability to run the race. As we learned in Chapter 8 in regard to strongholds, we need to confess our sin, give it to God and walk, or even better, run away from it. Sin only entangles us when we give it power over us by making provision for our flesh (Romans 13:14).
In Genesis, our adversary (Satan) is referred to as a serpent. At some point, we have all knowingly flirted with the danger of being bitten by this serpent when we choose to ignore what we know is right. Some of us choose to run through snake-infested territory (hoping not to get bitten), while others stop, stare, sense the temptation, and then reach out and grasp what they know they shouldn’t.
Key Thought:
If you don’t want the snake to bite you, then don’t pick it up and try to play with it.
Another thing that stands out of Hebrews 12:1 is the statement, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” The race we run is a marathon. It is a long distance, cross-country (spiritual country) race. No marathon runner ever wins by sprinting the course. The race is won through perseverance. Without perseverance, we could never finish the 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.
I Corinthians 9:24—NIV
Why run the race if you don’t know what the prize is? What is at stake? What do you stand to win? Better yet, if you don’t run the race, what do you stand to lose? (Think about the implications.)
As a follower of Christ, I know that the prize that I run for is the promise of eternal life. As I run the race on the course that is “marked out” for me, I see so many opportunities to share my faith with others. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15 to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” The hope that I have as a believer is more than the fact that I will spend eternity with God. It is much more. I have hope that He will never leave me or forsake me (Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5). I also have hope that nothing can separate me from the love of God (Romans 8:38).
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
Acts 20:24—NIV
About a year ago, I received an email with a link to a website about Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father and son team who compete in marathons and triathlons. If that was all you knew about them, you might want to know more, but I am afraid most people would just shrug their shoulders and move on to the next thought of the day. What makes Dick Hoyt (father) and Rick Hoyt (son) so truly amazing is the fact that Rick has been paralyzed since birth. When Dick is running marathons, he pushes his adult son in a wheelchair. When Dick is competing in a triathlon, he swims while pulling his son in an inflatable raft, and rides a customized bicycle that his son is able to ride on the front of. Think about this: he runs, bikes, and swims the full distances required in a triathlon, which, in case you don’t know, is 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Most of us couldn’t do any one of those three things by themselves, much less do all of them in one day, but Dick Hoyt does all of this while transporting his son. He carries the weight of two people in his races while he is competing with people who are only carrying themselves. This story is worth reading about. It is all very touching. The bond that exists between this father and son team is truly special and very inspiring.
When I think about the powerful image of a father carrying his son, I begin to think about our Heavenly Father carrying us. We are all spiritually paralyzed to some degree, and we need our Heavenly Father to push us and pull us and carry us where we need to go. As disciples, we each try to run our races, but we often forget that the only way we can cross the finish line is to be carried over by our Father.
When we lean on God for our strength, He will give us the strength to continue. What an awesome opportunity to testify to the goodness of God. When other people see that we trust God in all things, it is a powerful message to others that God’s grace is truly sufficient. We must remember that God provides opportunities for us to testify of Him to others in our lives. While running in our race, we get to run across the path of other runners and sometimes alongside others and, if we are fortunate, we sometimes get the amazing opportunity to pour ourselves into others and minister to them. When God uses you as His instrument to touch the life of someone in need of God’s grace, it is such a blessing. We should long for these moments and be on the lookout for them because sometimes as we run, we need to help others by running alongside them and support them and point them towards the narrow path that leads to life.
You were running a good race.
Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.
Galatians 5:7-8—NIV
There are so many distractions along the course of our journey. As we are running our race, we come in contact with our enemy. He is there at every turn whether we see him or not. He has set up stumbling blocks for us along the way. He wants to bait us to slow down and savor things that look appealing, but that only end up distracting us from our primary objective: keep running! Even though he has set traps for us and designs detours to lead us off the narrow path and through some deep weeds. We have the choice. We can run on the path “marked out for us,” or we can run through the weeds and briars.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
I Corinthians 6:19-20—NIV
Another very good way to live a life that is pleasing to God is to take care of ourselves. We are all made up of body, soul, and spirit. Each of these areas needs our attention. The Bible teaches us that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. If God’s spirit resides in us, then we shouldn’t abuse our bodies. We need to take care of our “temple.” Obviously, as in anything in life, we can take this to extremes. For some, the extreme may be not watching what we put into our bodies by eating and drinking the wrong stuff. For others, we may be so obsessed with our bodies that we make our physical fitness routine look something like idolatry. I believe that the Bible teaches us to find balance. We need to eat right and protect the “temple” through our management of our diet and exercise, but we also need to focus on the health of our soul and spirit in order to have the balance we seek. I truly believe that the way in which we manage all these areas is another way that we can show God that we respect Him and it is another form of worship in action.
When I think of finding the balance that I am speaking of, I think of getting on the road to “wholeness.” We are made to strive to maturity and completeness. As we grow in our faith, as we learn how to live a life that is truly pleasing to God, we learn so much more about the nature and character of God. I cannot say enough that to get to know God, we must keep running the race. This means we must continue to talk with God (pray). We must continue to read about God (get in His word and “hide it in our hearts”). We must give back to God what He has provided for us (tithes and offerings). We must incline our hearts to seek Him and be patient in the process as He mysteriously molds us and shapes us into something spiritually beautiful.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:12—NIV
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,
you will receive what he has promised.
Hebrews 10:36—NIV
In writing this book, I am reminded of many things that I am thankful for, especially the many challenges and difficulties that I have faced throughout my Christian experience. These experiences were extremely difficult and, at times, definitely painful, but nonetheless, they were absolutely necessary for my spiritual development. We should never desire to stop the growth process just because we become uncomfortable. Things that grow stay fresh and alive. Things that stop growing can decay and become rancid.
In Chapter 8, I told you that I would tell you more about perseverance, and what is produced by perseverance. Well, here it is, plain and simple.
Key Thought:
Perseverance produces patience and patience produces character.
As disciples of Christ, we need to have a willingness to accept whatever comes our way, knowing that by God’s grace we will survive the situation, trial, or difficulty and come out stronger in the end with a deeper faith in God. When we look at our present situations, we can’t always see God’s hand at work, but we know by faith that “all things work together for good for those who love God and for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). When we look back on our Christian experience, we have so much more actual experience to draw from.
In my life, it is much easier to look back and see how God was orchestrating my life in order to teach me what He thought I needed to learn. I will be the first to say that these lessons leveled me at times and left me wondering about the goodness of God, but I cannot say clearly enough or convey the level of conviction that I have when I say that God loves me, God provides for me, and God wants what is ultimately best for me. My life is a testimony to that fact that God is good…all the time! The sad part is that many people don’t see this truth because they won’t trust Him to guide their path. Instead, like me, they run off the road and crash before they realize how much they need God to be their Lord. I thank God for guiding me down the roads I have traveled. I appreciate the person that I have become as a result of the life experiences that have guided me to His loving embrace.
If we would develop a determination to stand firm in what we know and believe in while those around us are falling or running away from God’s guidance, we would develop the insight to see the character-developing hand of God in it all. If we will persevere, we will develop patience, and with this patience, God will develop our character. This perseverance, patience and character are what allow us to finish the race and grow in faith and maturity.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
II Timothy 4:7-8—NIV
Come Visit the “Discomfort Zone”
For the last few days, I have been reflecting on the idea of being outside my comfort zone. More specifically, I have been considering what it would be like to be outside my comfort zone on purpose. You might ask, “Why on earth would you intentionally want to be outside your comfort zone?” Well, let me put it this way – I believe that God can meet us anywhere at any time, however, I also believe that God typically shows up in the most powerful ways when we are in a place of discomfort.
The same reoccurring thought keeps going around and around in my head…
People don’t typically reach out to God from a place of comfort.
Think about it:
- You probably wouldn’t have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior unless you had discomfort. At the time of your profession of faith in Jesus, you recognized that you were lost and desperately needed a Savior. You were uncomfortable with the idea of not spending eternity with Him (and also uncomfortable with the idea of spending it somewhere warmer).
- What about when you are in desperate need of help? Are you more likely to call out Him?
- What about when your needs are met? Are you as likely to call out to Him then?
Doesn’t it seem that some form of discomfort (or tragedy) in our lives is required for most Christians to earnestly call out to Him? When we are comfortable, how often does our faith truly grow?
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10)
Most of us conceptually know what Humble means, but let’s really look at this word.
- Adjective – not proud or arrogant | modest | having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, or subservience | low in rank, importance, status, or quality | lowly | courteously respectful | low in height or level | small in size
- Verb – to lower in condition, importance, or dignity | abase | to destroy the independence, power, or will of | to make meek
- Synonyms – Unpretending | Unpretentious | Submissive | Meek | Unassuming | Plain | Common | Poor | Polite | Mortify | Shame | Abash | Subdue | Crush | Break
- Antonyms – Proud | Noble | Exalted | Rude | Insolent | Elevate | Exalt
Now, in James 4:10, the word Humble is a verb. It is a call to action! I especially like the definition that says “to destroy the independence, power, or will of”. This is what it’s all about! If we can learn to humble ourselves before God in this way, by destroying our independence and our own selfish will, we will be stepping outside our comfort zones and be stepping into the realm of discomfort where we will meet God in a fresh, new way.
If we will swallow our pride, and seek His face, He will begin to reveal His “good, pleasing and perfect will” for our lives (Romans 12:2). It may require us to step into the pain, but know this, God will be there the whole time. He will never leave you, nor forsake you (Joshua 1:5).
I invite you to come visit the “Discomfort Zone”… where relationship is found, and religion is lost.
Reasonable Service
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love the following passage:
Romans 12:1-2 — Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
In October 2005, my eyes were opened and I grasped the meaning of this passage for the first time, and it absolutely rocked my foundation. The concept that I could actually know God’s ‘good, pleasing and perfect will’ for my life…? Wow! Who wouldn’t want to know God’s will and plan for their life… right? I mean, how wonderful would it be to know that you are right where you are supposed to be, doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing? Man, I still have trouble getting my head around it all. It just seems too good to be true!
Let me back up a bit. Prior to gaining an understanding of what Romans 12:1-2 communicates to us as believers, I had a religion about God, but no real relationship with Him. You could say that I had ‘head knowledge’ about Him, but no ‘heart knowledge’ to go along with it. I think that this is true of so many believers. Many of us have a form of religion, but we lack the substance of our faith. It’s like we have our own ideas about who God is, but we aren’t Biblically literate enough to truly understand how to be close to Him, or what it truly means to serve Him. We may be sincere, but we always feel like we are missing the mark somehow. As a result, our spiritual journey is often marked by instability, inconsistency and frustration.
My prayer is that I can encourage you to take a serious look at Romans 12:1-2 and think about how it applies to your life and your daily walk as a sincere follower of Christ.
Key Concepts:
Living sacrifice—A friend recently told me that the problem with a ‘living sacrifice’ is that, as soon as we place it on the altar, it walks away. Let this not be said of us. We should daily be living out in our life what being a Christ follower is all about.
Spiritual act of worship—Some translations refer to this as ‘reasonable service’. (I love that thought!) Once we recognize what God has done for us, then living for Him and serving Him is completely ‘reasonable’. Not only is it reasonable, it’s a form of worship. Our lives should testify to the goodness of God to all those we come in contact with.
Do not conform—To conform means to adapt, be similar to, or be in line with. If we adapt to the world, then we are not conformed into the image of Christ.
Be transformed—To be transformed means that we have been given a completely different form or appearance. Spiritually, this is true of Christ followers. Once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are new creations.
Good, pleasing and perfect will—God’s will and plan for each of us is discoverable. If we will live our life as a living sacrifice, according to His Word, as Romans 12:1-2 explains, we will come to know Him more deeply. Through this process, we lose our religion and find our relationship with Him. Along this journey, He guides us and reveals to us His good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives.
So many people today are living their life according to their own plan, rather than according to God’s plan. If we could just learn to surrender our will, acknowledge that we are really not in control and ask God to take control of our lives, then we will discover that God is right there, waiting to show us a new way of living. I say all of this because I have walked the path of trying to be in control of everything and it doesn’t work. In my life, God lovingly allowed me to lose almost everything that I held dear to me in order to get my attention. In my state of brokenness, I confessed to Him that I finally understood that I could not go on without Him. It was then that I asked Him to take control of my life and change me… and He did! He will do the same for you!
Here is the ‘Take Home Message’—Living life God’s way is our ‘reasonable service’ to Him. It’s our way to worship Him with our very lives. We need to remember that He loves us unconditionally (warts and all) and He wants to have a meaningful relationship with us. He asks us to surrender our will and just follow Him. How our lives would transform if we would only do this seemingly difficult, yet very simple thing. Once we surrender our will to Him, He will begin to reveal His will to us. Your life will be forever changed if you will just trust in Him.
Leadership 101
On a recent book signing trip to Oklahoma, I visited the church that I attended when I used to live there (LifeChurch). I intentionally went early with the hope of being able to catch a few of the leaders before services began. There are some key people in that church who are spiritual heroes to me, and to my amazement, while I was there, I was able to catch up with each of them, give them a hug and have a meaningful conversation about what God has been doing in all of our lives. I left there on a spiritual “high”, ready to go out and take on the world.
We all need leadership. We all need Christian community and accountability. I thank God that He has strategically placed these men in my life to encourage and guide me. While I was visiting my church, my friend Robert gave me a book to read called “The Servant: A Simple Story about the True Essence of Leadership”. Although I am just in the beginning chapters, it is already speaking to me. There are 3 definitions from it that I want to share.
Leadership – The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good.
Power – The ability to force or coerce someone to do your will, even if they would choose not to, because of your position or your might.
Authority – The skill of getting people to willingly do your will because of your personal influence.
It is interesting to note that Leadership is a skill. To be more exact, it is an art form. Good leadership is not derived from ‘Power’, but rather from ‘Authority’. Anyone with influence can use their influence to either push people around or to guide them. The ‘Power’ style of leadership will work for a while, but the end result is burnout and alienation. The ‘Authority’ style of leadership will work for the long term and will not damage people in the process.
Forgive the analogy, but in this world, there are too many “Chiefs” and not enough “Indians”. There are too many people trying to lead with having first been followers themselves. God called us to be followers of Him, but He has also called us to be leaders in our communities. If we intend to be effective leaders, we must first acknowledge who our Leader is (God) and choose to faithfully follow Him, so we will then have the compass that we need to be able to lead others in an appropriate way.
Sometimes we forget that people will follow a good leader anywhere. If you have a godly vision and an effective way to communicate that vision, there are people out there ready to follow you, which brings us to the reason that I am writing this to you today… it is high time that we acknowledge that He is Lord and stand up for what He is all about. This world desperately needs Christian heroes to lead us, but it doesn’t need inconsistent, unconvicted, Biblically illiterate people trying to guide us.
Pray for conviction, seek God’s face, turn from the things that separate you from having a meaningful relationship with Him, mature in your faith and ask God how He can use you to lead His people in a meaningful way.
Compass
I am troubled. When I listen to people nowadays, I hear so many disturbing things. It seems to me that we now live in a world where the lines between right and wrong are more blurred than ever… or are they? Consider this: So many people today want to conform the Word of God to their lives instead of conforming their lives to God’s Word (that is, if they are even willing to acknowledge God’s Word in the first place).
When you read the last sentence, does it move you to ponder the reality of what I am saying? If it doesn’t, you should ask yourself, “What is it that this guy is trying to say?” Well, to put it bluntly, we have lost our way. We need a compass. The Bible is God’s Word. It is our compass if we care to read it and go where it leads.
To attack the legitimacy and accuracy of the Bible as God’s Word is offensive to God Himself. If we can’t whole-heartedly believe God’s inspired Word, then God help us, because we are desperately lost and without hope. When people try to read between the lines and make the Bible say things that it doesn’t say, or ignore the parts that interfere with their chosen lifestyle, we are in dangerous territory. Why is trusting God so hard for so many people? Well, the answer to that is simple… it’s all about us being in control.
We live in a society that makes morality a relative issue. Situations shouldn’t determine our morality, yet we allow them to and we try to elevate our agendas above God’s agenda. Well, I argue that morality is paramount to our Christian identity and character. In the Lord’s prayer we hear the words “Thy will be done,” yet we seldom truly seek His face to determine what “His will” really is. Romans 12:2 speaks of God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1 leads into this verse and when read together, they are unbelievably potent.
Do we really want to know God’s will and plan for our lives, or are we too busy trying to force our own will and plan? Are we too stubborn and prideful to get on our knees and ask a Holy God to forgive us and take the control and guide us down the “narrow road that leads to life?”
My goal is to lead to lead people to consider who is really in control. If you think you are, then you are going to continue to trip and fall in your Christian journey until one day you realize that God is ultimately in control and He is waiting for us to acknowledge that fact and surrender our will to Him and ask Him to lead us and guide us to discover His will and plan for us.
