WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING FOR? - WRITTEN BY A PASTOR I KNOW

Our life is a race. Hebrews 12:1 says “.....Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. This race can be compared to the race run by athletes for specific games like Olympics. In our life age and time is always running out. No one can stop this. Even if we sit idle in our life, age and time will always be running. God has a specific race for all of us. For any race the winner will be judged according to how he runs, where he runs and for what he runs. We may think that we are ordinary people and who will watch the race we are running. Even if no one is watching, God is always watching.

I would like to tell you about three victorious run that was carried out by certain people in their lives.

RUN FOR CHRIST:

I Samuel 17:48 “....David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him”. Here David is running against Goliath. The reason for David race being victorious is that he did not run for himself but ran for God. He came there accidently and was not a man of war. When he hears a man abusing God, he could stand it no longer. He ran as God’s representative in that place. Like how he risked his life when the lion and bear came against his flock and him, in the same way when Goliath abused God he risked his life to stand for God. Hence his race was victorious. The reason all the people were afraid of Goliath was because they compared their strength and Goliath strength. But the reason David was not afraid was because he compared God’s strength and Goliath strength. In the same way in our life race we must run for God and we need not bother about our strength and the strength of enemy because God fights for us.

RUN FOR WORD OF CHRIST:

Mark 6:33 “But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them”

Here a group of people are running. The evening before Jesus

had met all these people and cured all their diseases having no time to eat and sleep. The next day Jesus went to a solitary place to take rest. The same people when they knew that Jesus has gone by boat to the other side, they ran as fast they could and went to the other side before Jesus could get there. Even though these people received healing in their body, their soul and heart seemed empty. Knowing the reason why they ran, Jesus preached the word of God and gave them food for their soul. After that he gave them food for physical body as well. Jesus performed such a big miracle by multiplying the five loaves and two fishes for the people who ran for the word of God.  Today most of us are expecting miracle for our body, but our soul is left hungry. Reading and meditating the word of God is the only way to nourish our soul. If you run for the word of God, he will give you other blessing as well.

RUN TO WIN SOULS FOR CHRIST:

Acts 8:30 “...Philip ran up to the chariot.....” Here Philip is running to prepare one soul for Christ. Philip was not a big preacher like Paul and Peter. But the Holy Spirit has told him to run and reach the chariot in which the minister was travelling. This was a difficult task for him to run ahead of the chariot pulled by the horses. He risked his life and ran to bring one soul to Christ. God rewarded him with two things for his race. First, he is the only man in Bible who baptized a minister. Second, after he had finished his major work, Holy Spirit Himself carried Philip. His race was victorious because he ran to win a soul for Christ.

Let us examine whether we are running for God, for word of God and to win souls for God. If not, let us run the race in a diligent way and be victorious for God. GOD LOVES YOU.