How Can You Finish Your Race?

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)

There are many different kinds of races: races that people run, car races, horse races, and other types of races.  While there may be different things involved with a specific race, every race has some things in common.  No matter what type of race, there is always a starting point, there is a specific course, and there is a finish line for the race.  But what is probably the most important part of the race is the start.  If you do not know where to start, or you never actually start the race, you certainly cannot finish the race.

Our life is similar to a race.  The Bible refers to a race we must run (Hebrews 12:1), and Paul said he had finished his race (2 Timothy 4:7).  Paul was no different from the rest of us in the sense that we all have a race to run, for God, and we all should want to finish our race and do what God has called us to do.  But to finish the race, we first have to start the race.  Starting the race is done first of all by being born again and getting into a relationship with God, and then by discovering and following God's plan for our life, which is our race.

God has a plan and purpose for our life, which is what Paul meant when he talked about finishing his race in 2 Timothy 4:7.  For Paul to finish his race, he had to start his race, and so do we.  While we may not be where we should be, or want to be, we need to start moving forward, from where we are now, doing what we know to do, and allow God to direct us in any course corrections we need for our race.  God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to help us know and understand what He wants us to do, to find and run the race He has called us to.  With God's help, we can successfully finish our race.

Being Led In The Little Things

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
Romans 8:14 (NKJV)

There are many decisions that we all make every day.  Some decisions we make are big decisions, and some are not.  Deciding what subject to study at a university, what job to take, or the best way and place to educate your children are all big decisions that require some serious thought and may take some time.  But decisions like what color shirt to wear, what to have for breakfast, or what to watch on television are not big decisions, but they are still decisions.  Making the best decision, in every situation, is always a good thing.

One of the best things about being a Christian is having a living relationship with a God who cares about us and wants what is best for us.  It is good to know that God is aware of what we are facing in life, and that He wants to help us deal with the situations we face and the decisions we need to make.  God has given us His Word, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us live the life that God has planned for us.  God is not just interested in helping us make the big decisions in life, but God even wants to help us with what might seem to us to be the little things.

Some Christians think that God's help is mainly, or only, available to us for the big decisions of life.  Of course, there are many "little decisions" we can make on our own, but God is interested in every decision we have to deal with.  As it says in Romans 8:14, the children of God are to be led by the Spirit of God, in every area of our life.  The good thing is that this is not limited to just the "big" decisions in life.  God loves us and wants the best for us, and He wants to be a part of our decision making process, in both the big and small areas of our life.

Work Until He Comes

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
Titus 2:11-13 (NKJV)

In many places that I have worked, there was a bell or whistle that would sound at the end of the work day.  Like most people, it was a sound that I was glad to hear, because it meant my time at work was done for the day.  One thing I never had to do was to worry that the bell or whistle would not be sounded.  And no matter what job I was doing that day, the bell or the whistle would sound regardless of how hard I had been working.  My job was not to look at the clock all day waiting for the bell or whistle to sound, my job was to keep on working until the end of the day.

One of the most controversial areas in Christianity is what is known as the end times, which includes the return of Jesus.  There are many ideas and opinions that people have about what is happening in the world today, what those things mean for Christians, and what it might mean concerning the return of Jesus.  The fact that Jesus will return is biblically without question, because Jesus Himself said He was coming soon (Revelation 22:7), and there are many other references to that in the New Testament.

In places like Titus 2:13, the Bible talks about how we look for the blessed hope of the return of Jesus.  Although there may be different views about how and when Jesus returns, our work here needs to continue until He does return.  No matter what anyone believes about how and when Jesus comes again, our time on earth is limited, and so is our time to do the things God has called us to do.  We need to make the most of our time here, doing the will of God in our life, because Jesus will return, and our time on earth will come to an end; we need to be busy working until He comes.

What Are You Waiting For?

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV)

Imagine standing in front of a door to some room, and inside of that room is something you need.  While you want to go into that room to get what you need, the door is locked, and you are waiting for someone to bring the key to open the door.  That would not be good, because you have to wait to get into the room to get what you need.  Then imagine that you already have the key to the door.  It would be foolish to keep waiting at the locked door then, because you can open the door right away.  All you need to do is take the key you already have and open the door to get what you need.

In all my years as a Christian, especially when teaching in Bible schools and churches, I have met and talked with many Christians.  One thing that I have repeatedly seen is that many Christians are waiting for something.   They are waiting for a special message, as special meeting, or someone special to pray for them, so that they can overcome some situation or get what they need, to do what they see God wants them to do.  The problem is that these people are waiting for something that they already have, but they just do not seem to know it.

Christianity is a relationship with God, based on what Jesus did for us.  But do we really understand that, or are we waiting for something to happen to help us get what we need and do what we are supposed to do?  Do we really understand 2 Peter 1:3, where it says that we have already been given all things that pertain to life and godliness?  We need to know the truth of what Jesus did and take hold of it in faith to be partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).  The real issue is not that we need to wait for something else to happen, but we need to act in faith on what God has already provided for us through Jesus.