How many types of races are there? There are all the track events: the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m 1000m, etc. Then there are cross country events such as the 3km, 5km, 8km, and so on. Then there are marathons, the 10km, 21km, and finally the full one, 42km. There are even ultra-marathons which are anything longer than a regular marathon and they have no limit. The Bad Water Ultra Marathon, which is allegedly one of the hardest ultra-marathons in existence is 135 miles long (217km); it takes place around mid-July of every year in California’s Death Valley, where the temperatures are over 120F (49C). As a result of the difficulty level of this race very few runners are even capable of finishing such a race. What does the Bible compare our Christian life to? A race. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1. LET US RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE THAT IS BEFORE US. What sort of race requires endurance? Perhaps an ultra-marathon would best describe our journey as Christians. And to run an ultra-marathon, one would need not only endurance but determination, discipline, willpower, grit. I mentioned earlier that many runners are not even able to finish an ultra; they were not well enough prepared and they were forced to quit. In the Christian life, many are not able to finish either, many are not prepared, and so, many quit and fall into a life of sin.
The former New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra, once said: “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.” Unknowingly he expressed one of the greatest principles in the Christian life. It matters little to have the lead at the beginning; what matters is how you finish. Victory is won at the finish line, not at the starting blocks. Moreover, the Christian life is not a race of 100m; it is a marathon that requires endurance and a lifetime commitment to keep running with the intent of finishing strong. The cliché, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over” also serves to remind you and me that even if we have fallen far behind in the Christian race there is still time to finish well. In 1 Corinthians 10:1–13, the apostle Paul warns us about the dreadful and severe consequences of sin. He also challenges us to avoid sin and persevere in our Christian lives. Paul will argue that there is a very real possibility that many Christians will not finish their Christian lives well. In the book of 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, Paul shares with us that he was constantly striving to keep himself in check because he didn’t want to end up being disqualified from the prize of God’s approval. And in verse 25 it says: “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown.” Paul is speaking about all the training and discipline that an athlete must undergo; if they are willing to give their all, how much more should we put our all into winning that incorruptible crown. In 1 Corinthians 10:12–13, again Paul gives an important warning and a hopeful word of encouragement and grace. In light of all that Paul has said, he challenges the Corinthians with these words in 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Those who have great beginnings may still fall and ruin the last days of their lives. The child of God who thinks that he has succeeded is being set up by the devil to be knocked down. Those on the mountain top are the most vulnerable to attack. Those who are shorter have a lower center of gravity and therefore it is harder to knock them over. The taller you are, the easier it is to get knocked over. This is similar to the saying, “The higher you are, the farther you have to fall.” Elijah was on the mountain when he defied the prophets of Baal. The next day he ran across Israel as fast as he could, away from Jezebel. He went from one magnificent, climatic victory to dismal defeat. There he sat under the juniper tree, defeated and discouraged. God came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He went from bravery to shrinking cowardice. And just like Elijah, it could happen to anyone of us.
Fortunately, we can choose to avoid disqualification and finish well. Paul closes this passage in 1 Corinthians 10:13 with inspirational words: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Before we look at this verse, we must keep in mind that the Greek word translated “temptation” (peirasmos) can also be translated “testing.” Practically speaking, this term could be translated “temptation and testing.” Every temptation is a test; and every test is a temptation. But despite the temptations and tests God may place in our way and no matter how hard our race might be, we should always remember that there is no such thing as failure, only quitting. You can never fail if you do not quit; mistakes do not constitute as failure. Christ died so that we could rise above our sins and keep going through Him. Recently my mother sent an email out to the some of the youth, about a runner in a track event; during his race he tore a hamstring and could not keep running. He fell to the ground because of the great pain he was experiencing. But instead of stopping he continued, and though he could not run, he limped. And as he was walking, his father ran out to help him finish his race. When we fall down in sin, when we make mistakes, we shouldn’t allow them to keep us there. We should let our heavenly Father help us finish our race that we may say as Paul did: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7. Amen.
Nidia Romero