Run to Win!

My son Christopher was a great runner, and we used to race on the beach. For many years, I somehow managed to beat him, probably because I was a sprinter and he was a long-distance runner. But one day, we were walking along the beach, and I said, “Let’s race to that rock. Ready?”

Christopher not only won the race that day, but he won big. Then he went to Heaven before me when his race ended at age 33, so he beat me in that race as well.

In the race of life, we should be running for gold. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (1 Corinthians 9:24 NLT). We want to run to win. We want to do the best we can with the life that God has given us.

There will come a time in our lives when we’ll have our last meal, give our last statement, and breathe our last breath. Hopefully, we can say, as Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8 NLT).

Maybe you’ve thought, “Well, I have a long way to run in this race. Maybe I’ll get right with God when I’m in my 80s or 90s.” But you don’t know when the end of your race will come. It may be coming to an end more quickly than you planned.

Always be able to say, “I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I finished the course.” Run your race well—and finish it well.