TODAY’S WORLD: Running to Win

A message with an Olympic theme…..

 

 

 

Excitement is certainly mounting as the London Summer Olympics approach. The prestigious event, held every four years, attracts worldwide attention with some 15,000 athletes taking part. All involved want the event to be a great success.

 

 

Other cities in the past have had their moments of glory. Barcelona hosted the 1992 Olympics and had 3,000 officials, 2,000 judges, 11,000 sponsors and VIPs, and 9,000 from the press, radio, and TV in attendance for the occasion. Such were the expectations that should the city’s 15,500 hotel rooms be insufficient, a number of luxury liners were made available to provide an extra 6,600 bedrooms!

 

History always reveals some interesting connections. In the second century AD, at the CCXVII Olympiad, Lucius Minicus Natalis Quadronius Verus, a Barcelona general, was crowned with a laurel wreath as victor of the chariot race. Afterwards he carved his name on the historic stones at Olympia.

 

Although a modern Olympic stadium is very different from the site of the earliest games, the atmosphere today is no less exciting than it was at Olympia in 776BC when the first Games were held. For over a thousand years Olympia remained the home of the ancient Greek festival – certainly until 261AD. Since being revived at Athens in 1896, this international sports contest has taken place in a different city every four years. Like all other recent Games, years of very careful planning and preparation have preceded the event in London.

 

For the Christian it is interesting to realize that the early Games were being held at the time when the New Testament was being written. Paul not only reveals his own personal knowledge of such games but also very effectively likens the Christian life to an athletic contest. We can learn much from the comparisons made in Scripture.

 

 

PURPOSE

The first thing to understand is that the Christian life is not easy. The very idea of a race confirms that! Like any athlete, the Christian must have a purpose in life. Paul’s words recorded in Acts 20:24 make an excellent motto for the child of God today:- “That I might finish my course with joy.”  Determination is needed. No difficulties (such as “bonds” or “afflictions”) or conflicting desires must be allowed to detract the runner from his prime purpose.

 

Sometimes we forget that the Christian life is meant to be one of conflict, and we find ourselves settling back into a life of ease. All the contestants in the next Olympics will have pursued a rigorous training programme beforehand, at the same time as maintaining a carefully-controlled diet. In order to achieve his purpose, the Christian, like the athlete, must deal ruthlessly with anything that might impede his progress. Not only must sin be avoided assiduously, but “every weight” must also be laid aside (1).  Friendships, “harmless” hobbies, and television viewing, for instance, must all be checked very carefully – and where necessary, action must be taken.

 

 

 

TRAINING

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul reflected upon the training undertaken by the contestants in the Isthmian games – held near Corinth every two years. For “a corruptible crown” (a wreath of pine) they would spare no effort in their gruelling training. When we consider the superior reward (an “incorruptible” one) promised by our Lord at the end of the race, we ought to have an even more determined spirit.

 

In order to achieve his purpose, Paul knew the importance of applying rigorous self-discipline. Just as the herald summoned competitors to the race, so Paul had called many to the Christian life through preaching the Gospel. An athlete would not wish to be disqualified by the umpire at the end, and Paul did all he could to ensure that nothing ruined his service. Spiritual “fitness” requires training – the joint exercises of prayer and witnessing forming the backbone of the programme. The right “food” is vital too – not trashy magazines and novels but the nourishing Word of God (2).

 

 

 

INVOLVEMENT

Another passage of Scripture deals with our actual involvement in the Christian race. In Hebrews 12:1 we are shown the need for endurance as we “run…. the race that is set before us.” The marathon runner, in particular, needs this quality if he is to complete his course of more than 26 miles. It is only when we have laid aside “every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” that we can “run with patience” or endurance. What keeps the long-distance runner going? Surely it is the thought of a triumphant finish. If he is on the point of giving up, a word of encouragement from his coach can make all the difference. The cheering crowds also give him added impetus.

 

In the Christian race our greatest incentive is the Lord Jesus Himself. When we feel the heat, and our limbs begin to ache, we can remember how He not only faced the “contradiction of sinners against Himself” but also “endured the cross, despising the shame.” The little word to spur us on is, “Consider Him.” (3)

 

Although today’s main Olympic Stadium can accommodate 60,000 people, millions more around the world will be watching the Games by means of television. It seems as if the writer in Hebrews 12:1 turns, for a moment, to look at the crowds in the grandstand. They are not mere spectators; they are the worthies of chapter 11 who all completed the race and triumphed by faith. From their elevated position they seem to be watching our progress with concern. Their success rings out like a cheer to encourage us.

 

 

 

CONCENTRATION

No serious runner will ever allow his eyes to wander – or he may miss the prize! Like every athlete, Paul forgot his past achievements and strained his every nerve as he pressed “toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (See Philippians 3:12-14.) The goal for the Christian is promotion to glory. The Lord may come for us, or He may call us through death. We may already have reached the last stretch of the race. How necessary to be like Paul and to fix our eyes upon the finishing line!

 

 

 

VICTORY

For Paul, the end of the race was reached shortly after his last letter was penned. “I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,” he declared (2 Tim.4:7). Like a runner in a relay race, Paul had received the baton of Gospel truth and had faithfully passed it on to others. He had achieved his desired purpose and had finished his course with joy.

 

How different were the Galatians! “Ye did run well,” Paul told them, but sadly they had not maintained their progress (4). Perhaps as Christians we can look back to better days too. Ron Mahers’ last words to me from his hospital bed just three days before the Lord called him home in September 1991 were, “Keep running the race.” As we watch the Olympic Games, may the determination of the athletes spur us on in the Christian race with renewed enthusiasm and steadfast purpose both to “run well” and to finish our course with joy.  

END NOTES:- (1)Heb.12:1.  (2)Heb.5:12-14.  (3)Heb.12:2-3.  (4)Gal.5:7.