IN IT TO WIN IT

When I was a teenager my youth pastor had the great idea of doing a fundraiser in which we were to run for two hours straight! Obviously this had to be some kind of sick joke, but we all agreed. The concept was that we would find people who would sponsor us for a certain amount of cash per lap and this money would go into the youth fund.  As a testosterone-raging teen boy this quickly turned from a friendly fundraiser to an all out competition. There were probably 40 of my peers lacing up to run that day but there was one person who I had my eyes set on, my Big Brother! Ain't no way I was letting anybody get more laps than me, especially HIM! I ran with all I had, pushing through the burn, and avoiding the urge to kick the broseph in the kneecaps to assure my victory.  It was intense and I gave it all I had so that I could "win" that spring day and earn bragging rights.

Scripture says we to are in a race and that we should run in such a way as to get the prize. We should run with heart and a drive. So many times we forget that this life is only temporary and what really matters is where you stand at the end of this race. It's easy to get stuck in the routine and grind of every day life and forget our purpose and lose sight of the goal. We lose our genuine desire to be with Christ and to see others come to know Him, and before we know it our full-on pursuit has been reduced to a mere walk or even a stand still. 

The great news is that life is a marathon and if your reading this your still in the running.  It's not always easy to pursue Christ completely and there will be times your lungs are burning and your cramping up and your gonna feel like giving up.  But, if we fix our eyes on Jesus, our goal, our prize and consider what He bore for us it will give us the strength to endure.

So...quit standing there like a statue, walking like you just escaped the senior center, and start running like your  IN IT TO WIN IT!

Hebrews 12:1-3
"...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."


1 Corinthians 9:24-25
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."