Paul says that “we are running a race toward a goal. Don’t look back, press forward” (paraphrase mine). And the psalmist says, “If we run toward God, we make it to the finish line. Yahoo! That is certainly Good News!
Many years ago, I ran the Gasparilla in Tampa. I think it was a 5K. I started off with a burst of enthusiasm. The excitement of the race was contagious. Several times I found myself lagging behind, but then I would round a corner and a band would be playing and I would step up my pace and, once again thrilled by the spirit of competition, I would take deep breaths, reset my pace, and continue on. The people in wheelchairs whizzed by. And several pregnant women passed by. A man leaning on a cane went around me, but I continued on. And I finished!!!!! Of course, I don’t know my time; they had already begun disassembling the timing mechanism. And Jim walked with methe last bit of the way; it had taken me so long that he had come walking towards me thinking I had gotten lost or had been taken away by ambulance. But, I finished the race. I reached the goal.
So it is with our spiritual life. We are to press on even when life seems so difficult. Verse 31 says, “Every God-direction is road-tested.” You and I must keep our goal in mind--meeting God at the finish line. He will even walk toward us and with us and keep our path safe and sure. You and I are going to make it to the finish line. And we are going to receive a crown of glory. Wow!
Winning is finishing the race,
Linda