(1 Corinthians 9:24) “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.”

How Is Life Like A Race?

• Like a race, life has a challenging course with many ups and downs
• Like a race, life has a judge who decides where we place at the end
• Like a race, life has a finish line (called death or the rapture)
• Like a race, life ends with the “winners” receiving their rewards

(Hebrews 12:1) “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,”

(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, 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.”

From the world’s perspective, winning is based on …

• Intelligence – the smarter you are the more respect you will receive
• Wealth – the more money you have the happier you will be
• Image – the better you appear the more popular you will be
• Power – the stronger you are the more control you will have

But from God’s perspective, winning is based on something else entirely:

(Ecclesiastes 9:11) “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

You may not like this principle of life, but you can’t do anything about it: Life Isn’t Fair! Our human handicap is that we can try ever so hard to succeed and still fail – sometimes through no fault of our own!

(Hebrews 6:19) “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”

The Bible calls hope “an anchor of the soul.” Anchors stabilize and keep us from drifting. Without an anchor, a boat is at the mercy of the winds and currents. And without Hope to carry us through, we’re at the mercy of life’s unpredictable weather.

One of the Old Testament words for hope is TIQVAH which literally means “a cord.” It comes from QAVAH which means “to bind together by twisting” (like a braid of rope).

Hope Connects Us To The Throne Of God!

This same Hebrew word is translated “wait” in Isaiah 40:31 …

Run To Win!

(1 Corinthians 9:24) “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.”

(Isaiah 40:31) “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

HOPE – being connected to God – brings us renewed strength in the race of life.

If we run connected to God, we win; if not, we will not finish the race. We Have To Run Correctly! We Have To Run To Win!

Wrong Ways To Run:

Running Religiously Without Power

(2 Timothy 3:5) “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

The Pharisees were religious, but they went through the motions without a real experience. They knew the right words to say and knew how to appear, but they had little reality or genuine relationship with God.

(Matthew 22:29) “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”

(Revelation 3:1) “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”

Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was a bit like this. He was in the Temple every week performing his religious duties and worshipping faithfully.

But when God broke in to his life, he could not respond with faith because he had gotten so used to the status quo.

The lame man at the pool of Bethesda was definitely like this. He had laid beside the pool for so many years waiting for the moving of the waters that he didn’t even recognize his deliverance when Jesus stood beside him!

Running From Your Enemies

There will obviously be times in our lives when we should avoid physical confrontations, if at all possible.

There are oppressive situations that at times we need to get away from.

However, one thing we should never flee from and that is our spiritual enemies!

(Hebrews 12:12)  “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;”

The word “feeble” in this verse is the word “paraluo” from which we get the English word “paralyzed.”

Fear paralyzes our lives! That’s what happened to Israel – right after they experienced a glorious deliverance from Egypt.

After God totally decimated their enemies, they were still intimidated when they saw the giants of Canaan.

They Wanted God To Deal With The Canaanites In The Same Way As He Dealt With The Egyptians, Without Them Having To Fight At All.

When that did not occur, they lost their confidence.

The next step was predictable: they began to magnify their enemy’s power above their own, and even above God’s. Running life’s race the wrong way distorts our vision, and we look at our enemies through a magnifying glass.

(Numbers 13:33) “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

Mark Twain: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.”

Running With Your Enemies

Judas Iscariot definitely ran the wrong way in life’s race, even though he started out with good motives.

He believed that the Messiah would overthrow the Roman government and set up an earthly throne (just like all the other disciples!).

However, when Jesus didn’t do this Judas became incredibly disillusioned and it created bitterness in his heart that was fatal to him.

(Galatians 5:7) “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”

Running Away From God

Failed expectations in this life can be both devastating and debilitating.

Like a balloon losing air, the rapid deflation of our dreams can send our emotions spinning haphazardly out of control.

This happened to the disciples, who never expected the crucifixion to happen!

(Genesis 21:9-11) “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.”

If you have run ahead of God and produced an Ishmael or two (who hasn’t?), sooner or later your fleshly provision will clash with your spiritual destiny and Ishmael will have to go.

This can be painful, but it’s absolutely necessary … and it’s for the ultimate good! Even When We Have Spoiled God’s Plan, He Has Another Waiting For Us!

(Lamentations 3:22-24) “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”

So How Do You Win In This Race Called Life?

Just Keep Running In The Right Direction!

In the book “The Ten Laws of Lasting Love,” Paul Pearsall relates an occasion in his fight against cancer when he and his wife had to overcome an attack on their hope: Any time a doctor came with news of my progress, my wife would join with me in a mutual embrace. The reports were seldom good during the early phases of my illness, and one day a doctor brought particularly frightening news. Gazing at his clipboard, he murmured, “It doesn’t look like you’re going to make it.”

Before I could ask a question of this doomsayer, my wife stood up, handed me my robe, adjusted the tubes attached to my body and said, “Let’s get out of here. This man is a risk to your health.”

As she helped me struggle to the door, the doctor approached us. “Stay back,” demanded my wife. “Stay away from us.” As we walked together down the hall, the doctor attempted to catch up with us. “Keep going,” said my wife, pushing the intravenous stand. “We’re going to talk to someone who really knows what is going on.” Then she held up her hand to the doctor. “Don’t come any closer to us.”

The two of us moved as one. We fled to the safety and hope of a doctor who did not confuse diagnosis with verdict.

Don’t Confuse Diagnosis With Verdict!

Don’t Confuse Feelings With Fact!

Don’t Confuse Right Now With Always!

Run To Win! Run With Hope!