The map is God's Word, the runner's shoes is the Gospel of peace, the destination is heavenward, the prize is eternal life. And how we start is how we end: from faith to faith; this is no triathalon, where a man starts on his feet and ends up on a bike, and then in the sea - no! As the apostle Paul says, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3) And then he says, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?" (Galatians 5:7) And concerning the Gospel he says, 'For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.'” (Romans 1:17) So it is: we start by faith and end by faith, from start to finish, it is by faith in the Son of God who loves us. For everything we do stems from the root; if the branches bear fruit, it is because of the root; for, "It is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.” (Romans 11:18) You are only a branch; we are being supported by the foundation, that is to say, Christ - we cannot stand without. For Christ makes us to stand and to walk uprightly, so when He makes our paths straight - run! The world wants to draw us away from Christ to be busy and rushing in the world; but where are we rushing to? Out of the context of a race, we are running in vain, rushing to our death; and what's more vain than death? Do not run in vain; as Pauls says, " I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. " (Galatians 2:2)
Running implies you have a place to go - and quickly; and in the context of a race: the place to go is the finish line. It also implies hard work, for running is by no means walking; although our faith is also called a walk; " For we walk by faith, not by sight. " (2 Corinthians 5:7)
But running is likened to diligence; as we are commanded, " not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; " (Romans 12:11)
And this is the work of the Lord: the "work of faith and labor of love." (1 Thessalonians 1:3) Therefore, run in zeal, being "zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:14) For what is the fruit of this world? As the Lord says, " As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. " (Matthew 13:22)
For the world is full of thorns and thorns choke out the growth of good fruit. But if we run the race of faith in Jesus Christ, we run to life eternal. So run! And to win! The race of faith is the good fight; for we fight with words of truth told by the Spirit, who is our Sword, with words seasoned with salt, preserving the truth of God's grace. (See more about the Race of Faith)
No one runs a race for a prize without first training, and they who run, certainly run to win; they strip off every weight that slows them down; they do so for the prize; they learn the rules and know exactly what they can and cannot do; runners are disciplined in what goes into their body, and they have strict schedules for training; they find the perfect shoes for running long distances. No one runs a race to get second place, but they run to get first place; otherwise all the training and running would be in vain. " 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. " (1 Corinthians 9:25-27)
And this is the race we run: the true race by living a life of faith in Jesus Christ; as the writer of Hebrews says, " 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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. " (Hebrews 12:2)
As it says, "fixing our eyes on Jesus", but Jesus is unseen, so it is, we fix our eyes on Jesus by faith; and this is the race we run: the race of faith. Just as it says about Moses, “He endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.” (Hebrews 11:27) For it is by faith that he seen Him who is unseen. >
Disciple means "disciplined one", and we are called disciples of Christ; self-discipline is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and discipline is needed for running the race. Any discipline that does not come from the Holy Spirit is not truly self-discipline. When I was in the military, they told me I would have self-discipline, but what I found was the military disciplined me, and my discipline did not come from myself; therefore, it was not self-discipline. In fact, when I got out of the military, I did all the things I could not do while I was in the military, but to a greater degree. For I desired to do them while in, but I couldn't - and this is yet another form of slavery. I didn't do according to my desires, but I willed to do so. Is this any different from willing to do good, but not having the ability? In both cases, the willing is present but the doing is not - but still, sin is slavery regardless. So I found that the discipline they tried to inflict upon me, actually made me worse; for the things they tried to inflict upon me was according to the strength of human flesh, and it had a reverse effect upon me - for it strengthened my sinful flesh. But thank God, He gives us the Holy Spirit that we may overcome ourselves, that is, our flesh! As the warning to Abel says, " If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7)
(See more about True Discipline)
We run the race of faith not for a perishable crown, but for an indestructible, that of life; as Paul says, "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." (1 Corinthians 9:24) And at the end of his life, he said, " I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness. " (2 Timothy 4:8)
Many will try to enter the kingdom, but will be forbidden; many will run the race, but only one wins the prize. We must know for certain that not everyone will enter by their own will; as Christ says, " Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. " (Matthew 7:21)
"Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victorʼs crown except by competing according to the rules." (2 Timothy 2:5) So it is by doing the will of the Father; and it is the Father who works in us both to will and to work; as it says, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) Furthermore, Paul says, "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16)
So human strength does not accomplish God's will, but the work of faith accompanied by God's grace. I say again, the race of faith is not physical; all physical effort produces sweat, and sweat is a result of the curse. For God cursed the ground, and by the sweat of our brow, we eat its bread. But what does the law say concerning the land? “Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard.” (Leviticus 25:3-4) The man who wills and runs according to human strength says, "What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops?" (Leviticus 25:20) But God says, “I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the crop for three years. When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the crop, eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in.” (Leviticus 25:21-22) So the men were to rest in the Seventh year, and God worked a blessing for them for three years thereafter. In the times of Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets, during the rebuilding of the temple, the people worked the land by the sweat of their own brow; and the fruit of their labors were eaten up, but not by them; as it says, “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes." (Haggai 1:6) But when the Word of faith came through Haggai, the prophet, they believed God; as it says, “Then they obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the LORD.” (Haggai 1:12) And the LORD stirred up their spirits; and the LORD their God was with them. So they went from sowing and harvesting the land to rebuilding the temple of the LORD. They worked the work of faith, and ran the race of faith; and by whose strength? As it is written through Zechariah, "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) For the Holy Spirit comes by hearing with faith; and this is the message which you have heard.