The devil is nimble; he can run apace; he is light of foot; he hath overtaken many....They that would have heaven must run for it. (John Bunyan)
back it up with bible
Philippians 1:27b Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.
Philippians 2:14,16 Do all things without…disputing…Holding forth the Word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. [See also Luke 16:16.]
Timothy 4:7,8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.
Hebrews 12:1,2a 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, Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.
1 Peter 5:8,9a Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith.
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on Eternal Life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
core christianity
Run the Race – Ignore the Hecklers!
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
During the 1990’s in an NCAA Division II national championship cross-country race in California, a bizarre twist of events took place. Mike Delcavo and 127 of the best runners in the country were battling for glory over the 10,000 meter course. About three miles into the race, Delvaco was somewhere in the middle of the pack, when he realized that the runners had made a wrong turn. So he yelled out, “You’re going the wrong way,” but they didn’t listen. Only 4 others followed Mike when he turned in the right direction…and suddenly, he found himself in the lead.
However that lasted only about a mile, since Mike and the runners who followed him soon reunited with the larger pack who, having gone the wrong way, actually shaved about a half a mile off the course, and were now in the lead again. The final blow came when, because so many of the runners had gone the wrong way, the officials changed the official course route to accommodate their error. So when Mike Delcavo finally crossed the finish line, he was number 103 overall.
At the end of the race, some of Delcavo’s competitors “thought it was funny that he went the right way.” In our mixed up world, when everybody is wrong, then wrong becomes right. However, in the world to come there is only one Judge and He will not change the correct course regardless of how many or how few actually run it. His rewards will be based on our having stayed the true course.
It’s easy to follow the crowd. But it takes courage and conviction to follow wholeheartedly after God. Sometimes it can get lonely running your race, wondering where the crowd is going, and even whether you, yourself are on the right road. But you my friend, keep running with the Lord. And when the race is over and you have finished your course, may then He say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” (Worthy Devotions)
previously published
The war that we’re engaged in is a positive…This is a good war, a vital war, an exciting war. It’s the war that we’ve been gearing up for and training for throughout our entire service for the Lord. It’s a war that Heaven has been waiting for, the war that many great men and women of God of all time would give anything to participate in. We have that honor. We have the privilege of fighting in that war, today, right here and now. We need to adopt the mindset that opposition and adversity are a fact of life and are part of the nature of war. As we go over the top, we can expect to encounter some resistance--maybe at times even a lot of resistance--and we can expect the Enemy to fight. But if you learn to expect opposition in one form or another and you accept the fact that it is part of the war effort, you won’t be shocked or dismayed when it comes. You won’t assume that it’s a negative, or that it’s going to bring down your work or cause irreparable damage. You’ll take it in stride, get the Lord’s battle plan, and keep advancing anyway. In fact, you’ll be expecting it, and you’ll relish the opportunity to pull out your weapons of the spirit and engage in combat! (Opposition Equals Opportunity, Part 1)
make it personal
Please speak to me about of the positive and beautiful things that I gain in life by holding on, enduring, and running the race.
