Running Your Race

Have you ever been to a cross country meet? We have several here at Huntingdon that are involved with this sport. I had to run cross country when I was in school. I mean, I HAD to run. The basketball coach decided that since he was not allowed to practice us, he would make us run cross country to get into shape. I wish I was one of those who enjoy running, but I am not. I do have a lot of respect for those who do. It is challenging to run cross country.

Cross country is not a sprint. It is usually about endurance. You are going to be running for several miles. It might be hot, cold, wet, or whatever other weather can strike our area. There are going to be some flat places, but there will most likely be some hills and valleys. There might be some wet places or some rocky places. There are going to be times when you might not feel well. The goal is simple: to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter what happens. You are trying to make it to the finish line.

I think the Christian life can, in some ways, be compared to cross country. Most of us will have years as Christians. There are all kinds of external things that can make it difficult to run for Christ. There are going to be good times and bad times (hills and valleys). There are going to be times when your greatest enemy stares at you from the mirror. The goal is simple: just keep putting one foot in front of the other to cross that finish line (Hebrews 12:1). Do not quit or give up. We are surrounded by those who have gone before us and finished, and they are proof that we can finish also. Not only are we surrounded by a great cloud of witness, but we also have the greatest “coach” anyone could have. God watches over us and helps us in our time of need. You can do this in Christ.

Seeds in Styrofoam Cups

Have any of you, when you were small, gotten a styrofoam cup and some dirt and planted a seed? You watered it, placed it near a window, and waited. You came back the next day and nothing, but depending on what kind of seed you planted, in about a week you would see a stem with two leaves poking out of the ground. How does all that work? I do not know, but I know it works because it was created that way. If the seed gets what it needs, it grows.

That seems to be part of the lesson in Mark 4:26-29. The man sows seeds, and they grow. How, he does not know. I believe Jesus is paralleling physical seed to spiritual seed. In the context of the chapter, we have the parable of the soils in verses 13-20. I believe Jesus is saying that when you plant the word of God in people’s lives, it can grow, but you cannot make it grow any more than you can make okra seeds grow. Our job is to sow the seed but not to make the seed grow. When the seed does grow and produce a crop, we want to be willing to harvest it.

What are some lessons for us? Our job is to sow the seed of God’s word. I want to sow good seed, and the seed is the word of God and only the word of God. I want to do what I can to give the seed the best opportunity to grow, but I cannot make it grow. I find myself guilty of trying to make the seed grow and in return receive frustration and aggravation. I am just a seed sower. The Bible says the soil produces crops which sounds like each individual has to decide if they are going to let the seed grow. We need to let the seed and soil do their jobs. I need to jump back in when the seed has grown in their soil (hearts) and they are ready to give their lives to Christ. Are you sowing the seed?

Practice

The first week of NFL football is now complete. Teams have been preparing for this for a while. They have been practicing for some time now. For most teams we got to see what all the excitement was about Sunday. Some teams performed well and some teams not so well. All those teams will say something to the effect of, “We will learn from this game and move on to the next game.” As I thought about the football season, I saw some parallels to the Christian life.

We have “practice” as well. By practice, I mean we go to Bible class, worship, gospel meetings, Vacation Bible School, our own personal study, etc. to learn God’s plays. We learn what God wants and how to do what he wants us to do in our daily lives. We need good practices. The old saying of “you play like you practice,” I believe is true. So we need to have good Bible teaching so that we know what to do and how to do it. But at some point we have to take all that practice and put it into play. James says “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” What good does it do for me to study the word of God and not live it out in my life?

Some teams played well this weekend; some did not. In taking up our cross daily and trying to live out the word of God, sometimes we are going to do well, and sometimes we are not going to do well. How do we handle that? Just like those teams, we look for things that did not go right and work on those, and we build on the things that did go right. How do I know what went wrong? Those things that were not in line with the word of God. How do I know what went right? Those things that were in line with the word of God. Go out there and play your best (live your life) for the one who gave His life for you.