The Christian Life Marathon

I have been thinking a lot about the Boston Marathon this week, for obvious reasons.

And it struck me how it is so much like our Christian life in the world today.

Life is never a short sprint, it is a long-distance grind, with hills that must be climbed and curves that must be negotiated...

...and, every now and then, a bomb blast explodes abruptly in our midst and throws everything into chaos around us.

Our Christian Life Marathon also has a starting line, a finish line, and a Fellow Runner who matches our pace, step-by-step through the whole course.

Interestingly, the writer of Hebrews chose the analogy of a race to illustrate these similarities in his own way...

"...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us...Let us fix our eyes on Jesus...Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  (Hebrews 12:1-3 excerpts, NIV)

The runners in the Boston Marathon didn't carry anything with them that would "hinder" them in any way...

...they dressed lightly
...they ate lightly
...they wore lightweight shoes

They wanted to run as far and as fast as they could so they could run well.

In our Christian Life Marathon, we need to strip away everything that "hinders" us too, so we can run well.

That means we must get rid of all of those things that weigh us down during our Christian run...

...guilt (God not only forgives, He forgets)

...perfectionism (you don't have to be perfect for God to accept and love you, Jesus was perfect for you already)

...anger (which hardens your heart not only towards the object of your anger, but towards God as well)

...worry (which crowds out God from your life)

The passage from Hebrews also says we must throw off the "sin that entagles."  Failing to do so is like trying to run the Boston Maraton as a "three-legged race" or a "sack race," which, of course, is quite impossible. 

If you tried it you would be constantly getting entangled, losing your balance, and falling.

No one ran the Boston Marthon that way, and neither should you run your Christian Marathon like that either.

You need to throw off sin that entangles you by taking it to God in confession...seeking His forgiveness...and working to "sin no more."

Hebrews also reminds us that the Christian Marathon, like the Boston Marathon, takes perseverance. 

Hard work.  Determination to succeed.  Dedication to the cause.  An ability to overcome hardships and setbacks victoriously.

The kind of "perseverance" talked about in Hebrews is the kind that keeps you moving forward with hope...with expectation...that you WILL MAKE IT to the finish line.  That you will, eventually, be able to raise your arms above your head and say, "I made it!"

At this year's Boston Marathon, runners and spectators were forced to endure the "opposition of sinful men."  The result was harm, and hurt, and death.

Jesus had to endure the same when He ran His own Christian Marathon here on earth.

And there may be times when you will need to endure it too.  Times when the crises and serious problems in your life are like bombs blasting away at your faith and knocking you off course.

But you CAN do it.  You can overcome.  You can get back on course.

Because, as a Christian, you have a power that is greater than your own.  Someone who has run the same race you are running, and did it perfectly.  He is your Example, and He can help you.

The secret is to keep your eyes on Jesus.

When you do, you can persevere without growing weary or losing heart.

Those runners and spectators in Boston have not grown weary or lost heart.  As a matter of fact, they have come up with a new slogan:  "Boston Strong"

As a Christian, you need to be "Jesus Strong."

For you, Jesus is the "starting line" of your Christian Life Marathon...He runs with you step-for-step all along the course of your life...and He stands at the "finish line," where He will celebrate with you as you raise your arms over your head someday...

...because you have run well.

And you have run into His outstretched arms.