The Amazing Race – II

Focus on the goal – Jesus

In a race, a runner aims for the finish line. That is the goal. In a tournament, an archer aims for the bull’s eye. That is the goal. In the Christian life, a believer aims for knowing the love of Jesus and responding to His love. That is the goal.

Can you imagine what would happen if a runner did not realize, in order to win the race, that there was a finish line needing to be crossed before the other runners? How about if an archer shot an arrow and had no knowledge that there was a bull's eye to shoot for? What about a Christian who does not realize love is the goal of all that we say and do?

Unfortunately, most churches of today have seemingly, for the most part, lost its way on this all–important issue of love. Even though Paul said, "the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13) and even though Jesus said the greatest commandment is love (Mark 12:30) and even though John wrote "God is love" (1 John 4:8) we now have an entire generation of Christians who apparently would rather believe in things, issues and experiences instead of aiming, as obedient children, for the love of God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. How can such a terrible climate of spiritual sickness be healed?

If each of us would simply remind ourselves it is because "God so loved the world" (John 3:16) that we are even Christians in the first place, and if we would humble our hearts, cleanse ourselves of all our so–called "spiritual knowledge" and step into the yoke of our humble Savior (Matthew 11:29) so we might learn of the One Who is love, then we would be well on our way to reestablishing Jesus Christ as the true and actual Lord of our Christian life. Remember, Paul also wrote, "Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies" (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Indeed, we cannot accomplish the goal of love unless we steadfastly aim for the goal of love.

If love is our goal, then we will joyfully give up all other discussions, realizing they are all ultimately fruitless and can only lead to a spiritual blindness of arrogance. We do not need a new experience. Instead we need to gratefully acknowledge and fully embrace the true life–changing experience of receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior, our Way, our Truth, and our Life (John 14:6).

Let us affirm this day, anew and afresh, that God is our all in all. He is everything to us. He is the Light this world needs to see. He is the Love that can heal this world. And He is the Goal we need to aim for. If we will follow this simple and profound act of contrition before our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will focus on the prize of the upward call (Philippians 3:14) and at the end of our lives we will have reached our goal, crossing the finish line of love with purpose, joy and ultimate fulfillment in God.

Never give up

There are many obstacles in our Race of Life that will come our way and will try to distract us and defeat us. In our Race of Life, there will be roadblocks and detours along the way that would either trip us up or make us stronger further along in our way.

Think about it. Something distracts you away from the race – you hit a roadblock. It is easy to have your attention drawn to a problem person, to finances, making money, a thousand little annoyances, temptation, an overwhelming "to do" list. Maybe you are drawn to this conflict or to something you are afraid of, to your worries, and they are all yelling at you, "Look at me!" And it is hard to concentrate. And pretty soon you find your faith lagging and dragging and you start to feel so weary of it all. At that point you have a choice – are you going to give up and be defeated by those roadblocks? Or are you going to listen to the Lord and get back in the race, following His commands and trusting in His promises?

Eric Liddell was a gold medal runner back in the 1924 Olympics. What was interesting was the way he ran. Eric ran with abandon, head tilted toward the skies, knees thrust upward to his chin, feet rising high from the ground. When asked how he knew where the finish line was located, he replied, "The Lord guides me." Eric was also known for his deep Christian faith, which was portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire. In that movie, there is one scene where Eric is running in a 400–meter race. Just before the first turn, Eric was shoved off balance, and he stumbled onto the infield grass. When he looked up, he saw the others pulling away. With a look of intense determination, Eric jumped up. With his head cocked back and his arms flailing, he rushed ahead. He was determined not only to catch up with the pack but to win the race. And he did!

You and I are on a race ourselves – the race of faith. And there will be many times that we will be shoved in life – we will lose our balance and stumble. We might even get off track and start to feel defeated. But what is needed more than anything at that point is the determination to not give up – to keep going – to win the race.

This was the kind of fervor that Apostle Paul brought to his ministry. In 1 Corinthian 9:24–25, Apostle Paul says, "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 training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

Paul saw himself as being like an Olympic athlete who is competing for a gold medal, straining every muscle in his body to get to the finish line. He had determination and focus. And that focus was Jesus Christ Himself.

For the athlete, the focus has to be on the finish line. The great ones will tell you that they are so focused that once they hear the starter's pistol everything else goes silent! They do not see or hear the crowd until afterward, but for that moment they are focused on one thing, crossing the finish line!

Remember, we should not run "like a man running aimlessly" or fight "like a man beating the air." (1 Corinthians 9:26)

If we are to successfully run in this amazing race of faith, our focus has to be on Jesus! As we look to Jesus, we will find the strength we need to face any obstacle, any trial we might face. He even left us an example of how to run the race – especially when the race gets hard and the going gets tough.

Jesus knows what it is like to go through trials. He knows what it is like to be betrayed, to be lonely, to be misunderstood, to hurt and grieve. He knows what is like to be tempted to go a different way and not follow the race prepared for Him. But he endured because He never lost sight of where he was headed. He had a view of God's glory and was able to keep His eyes on that prize – rather than the pain and agony of living in our world.

That is the example He left us. And that is the focus we need to keep in mind. When we are tempted to sin, to stray, to give up on the race we are on – we need to get our focus back on Jesus.

The Prize

We come at last to the finish line and the prize of this race. Every race has its prize. It might be only a laurel wreath, a medal, a trophy, a cash award, or the applause of the crowd, but every race has some prize to be obtained. It is no different in this one.

We take part in this race to "get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:25). Remember the words of Christ as He died upon the Cross, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Remember the words of Christ as He prayed to His Father before going to the Cross, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began" (John 17:4–5). Because Jesus was obedient unto death, "God exalted him to the highest place and gave to him the name that is above every name" (Philippians 2:9). God has caused Him to sit down at His right hand in glory to be worshipped by the angels and saints! Jesus valued the glory of God and the salvation of His elect above all else including life, honor and reputation, and was willing to part with all to achieve it. This was the prize Jesus valued and He received.

Now the prize that Christ has won is our prize as well. Upon the successful completion of His race, Christ has been glorified. He is exalted. And, when we have finished our race, we will be glorified together with Him (Romans 8:17). We will sit down with Him on His throne in glory!

Conclusion

Ask any athlete and he will tell you that running a race is truly an amazing experience – being watched and cheered by everyone on the streets and at the finish line. Similarly, as we run this Race of Life, all sorts of men who have successfully run the race of faith and are now in heaven, are peering down from silver–lined clouds watching our lives, inspiring us and cheering us on – urging us to keep on running!

And, most amazingly, Jesus Christ, our champion trainer is also there cheering us on – every single day of our lives, telling us not to quit, to keep running the race, to stay on course, and that He will be there at the finish line with our prize.

Remember only one thing, my friends, "Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus." After all, we should not forget the main reason we are all here. It is all about Jesus!

We may not know what is around the next corner but we can be confident that the One Who got us started will be there to ensure we make it to the end. For, after all, He was the first to cross the finish line, by overcoming death with eternal life.

I do not know what it will feel like to cross the finish line. I do not know what Heaven will look like or what our new bodies will be like. I cannot even begin to comprehend what an existence without time will be like. But I know one thing. I am certain of this: Crossing that finish line, persevering till the end will be worth every minute of training, worth every sacrifice.

Jesus. The love of Christ is as long as eternity. The love of Christ is deep enough to overcome the darkest sin. The love of Christ is so high that you and I will never get over it. Now, that is a prize worth running after.

See you at the finish line, my friend. Happy New Year! And, God bless you.