How to Run Your Race Well.

 

Running Our Race Well

2 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…"

Tonight, I would like to compare our Christian life to that of a race, just as Paul did here.

There are many things the runner must do to win the race, and if he doesn’t, he will lose. In the same way, there are things in the Christian life we must do, or we will fail in this race of life.

Tonight, I have three points of things we must do to run our race well:

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1. Train

How do you train for the Christian race?

The number one failure of actual racers is a failure to train and prepare.

A. Flesh Needs to Die

1 Corinthians 15:31 – “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

For the runner, there are some foods they must forsake and some exercises they must do. They must not submit to the flesh but persevere for the purpose of doing well in the race.

• His flesh wants junk food—but he says no, because he’s training.

• His flesh wants more sleep—but he gets up early to run.

• His flesh wants to quit when the workout hurts—but he pushes through.

• His flesh wants comfort—but he chooses conditioning.

In the same way, we must say no to our flesh when it says:

• You don’t need prayer and reading the Bible.

• You don’t have to give the Gospel.

• You don’t have to go to church all the time.

• You don’t have to be loving to everyone.

Too often, Christians love and cater to their flesh’s desires instead of training spiritually.

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B. Fuel Up Right

A runner who eats junk collapses. A runner who skips meals fades halfway through the race. A runner who ignores hydration runs out of strength.

In the Christian life, many believers are not losing to the devil—they are losing to spiritual starvation. They’re not weak because they’re incapable—they’re weak because they’re empty.

You cannot run a spiritual race on an empty tank.

So how do Christians fuel up? God gives us two main sources:

1. The Word of God
   1 Peter 2:2 – “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

2. Preaching in Church
   Hebrews 10:25 – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…”

Illustration: Soldiers Eat Before Battle
In the military, soldiers are always told: “Don’t go into battle hungry.”
When a soldier is physically weak, he is vulnerable to the enemy. Church preaching is the Christian soldier’s meal before battle. Hebrews 10:25 is God saying: “Don’t go into this spiritual battle hungry.”

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2. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Philippians 3:13–14 – “Forgetting those things which are behind… I press toward the mark…”
Hebrews 12:1–2 – “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…”

In a race, the runner must keep his eyes ahead on what is in front of him and not get distracted by anything else. Sometimes, it’s easy for Christians to get distracted by the things around us.

A. Distractions from the World

B. Distractions from Offense

In any marathon, runners constantly bump shoulders. Some stumble. Some get angry. But the winners? They keep running. They don’t argue or sulk—they stay focused on the finish line.

Many Christians get offended—someone says something harsh, treats them wrongly, or criticizes them. Instead of running, they stop, complain, or quit. Don’t let offense take your focus off Christ.

C. Comparing with Others

We need to focus on what’s ahead and on Jesus.

Illustration:
Corrie ten Boom and her family hid Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. She and her sister were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. She faced harsh conditions, cruel guards, and starvation. Yet she kept her eyes on Jesus, finding strength to forgive even her oppressors.

We need to be focused on hearing: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

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3. Give It Your All

Colossians 3:23–24 – “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Perhaps the Christian’s biggest failure is never truly giving it their all.

Do you truly give it your all?

• In your soul-winning efforts

• In your relationship with Christ

• In serving God in your Church

Illustration:
A young man once asked D. L. Moody, “Sir, what can God do with one life fully surrendered to Him?”
Moody smiled and replied: “It has never yet been seen what God can do with one man fully surrendered to Him.”

Moody himself lived out this principle. He gave every moment of his life to Christ. He preached tirelessly, even in poor conditions, to crowds in America and England. He started Sunday schools, missions, and eventually the Moody Bible Institute—all from a single surrendered life.

God’s power is unlimited when a life is fully yielded. He can do more through one fully surrendered Christian than through a thousand who serve half-heartedly.

If we run the Christian race with partial effort, we limit God. If we give our all, we unleash God’s power—not just in our lives, but in the lives of countless others.

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Conclusion

So maybe you are here tonight on the Christian race, the track being your life. Do you want to run it well for Jesus?

Remember:

1. Train

2. Keep your eyes on Jesus

3. Give it your all

If you do these things, then you can run your race well.

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