Run the Race

Victorious Gain

Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall and be exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

Truly, the righteous gain victory in the Lord. Young people have been great in winning. We have always heard that "the youth is the key to success," because we have the power to voice out for our community, and make a 'change'. Most have the full strength to fight in the battle. But of course, there are times when we get exhausted through our labors. Some might give up and keep their loss, while some are still eager to keep fighting to achieve their goal. And yet, the Scripture says that those "who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength," and they are the ones who gain true victory. 

Race of Faith

Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Paul tells us about pressing towards goal that it doesn't mean he already achieved perfection, but that he is pursuing it for it is what God wants us to be. We are CALLED to be perfect. We can only achieve it if we forget the past and move ahead. We won't be able to run straight forward if we keep looking back as it will only make us stumble. God wants us to walk in a straight line that leads only to His kingdom.

Reaching for the Prize

What can we do with the awards in this world? When we are gone, we can soon be forgotten. All our hardships are only for an earthly lifetime but we cannot take hold of it forever. There is the race where we can run without losing. It is the race of faith. This is the race where we fight in TRUST for the Lord. This is not just to the get to the finish line, but for the eternal line, the line that is forever in the love of Christ. We are "more than conquerors in Christ" because He Himself is the Lord of the Battle. He will fight for us as we put our trust in Him. He wants us to "lay aside every weight," and let Him carry our burdens. Together with this is to break the bondage of sin, and let our focus be on running with endurance towards the heavenly goal. 

Hebrews 12:1

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings to us closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,..."