Finish the Race

Philippians 3:13 (NIV) 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Paul says there is one thing that he is focused on and that is to press on toward the goal to win the prize. That one thing actually has two parts.
First Paul says, “Forgetting what is behind”
I find in my aging process that forgetting what is behind is getting easier and easier. …
Our past can become the biggest obstacle to our future.
Failure, sin… For Paul, his past consisted of being a murderer. Do you think that Satan every tried to discourage Paul by reminding him of his past?

Second, Paul says, “Straining toward what is ahead”. It’s not a leisure walk in the park. You can feel the intensity in the words that Paul chose. “Straining”. It’s an all out effort. A battle filled with moments when we think, “It would be easier to quit.

I'd like to take your mind back to October 20, 1968. I invite you to come with me to the Mexico City, Olympic Stadium. The time, 7.00 P.M. The closing ceremonies had just been completed. The spectators and athletes, still warm from the euphoria of the celebration, were gathering their belongings to leave the stadium. Then the announcer asked them to remain in their seats. Down the boulevard came the whine of police sirens. From their vantage point, many in the stadium could see motorcycles with their flashing blue lights, encircling someone making his way toward the stadium. Whoever it was, he was moving slowly. Everyone remained seated to see the last chapter of the Olympics take place. By the time the police escort got to the stadium, the public address announcer said that a final marathoner would be making his way into the arena and around the track to the finish line. Confusion was evident among the crowd. The last marathoner had come in hours ago. The medals had already been awarded. What had taken this man so long? But the first sign of the runner making his way out of the tunnel and onto the track told the whole story. John Stephen Akhwari from Tanzania, covered with blood, hobbled into the light. He had taken a horrible fall early in the race, whacked his head, damaged his knee, and endured a trampling before he could get back on his feet. And there he was, over 40 kilometers later, stumbling his way to the finish line. The response of the crowd was so overwhelming, it was almost frightening. They encouraged Akhwari through the last few meters of his race with a thundering ovation that far exceeded the one given the man who, hours earlier, had come in first. When Akhwari crossed the finish line, he collapsed into the arms of the medical personnel who immediately whisked him off to the hospital. The next day, Akhwari appeared before sports journalists to field their questions about his extraordinary feat. The first question was the one any of us would have asked, "Why, after sustaining the kinds of injuries you did, would you ever get up and proceed to the finish line, when there was no way you could possibly place in the race?" John Stephen Akhwari said this: "My country did not send me over 7,000 miles to start a race. They sent me over 7,000 miles to finish one."

I personally started that race on a summer night when I was 10. That’s when I invited Jesus into my heart. I do not know when I will cross the finish line, but I am determined to do just that. I fix my eyes on Jesus, my savior, best friend, encourager, coach, Lord.

FINISH THE RACE!