Running to Win

We were doing a Lectio Divina on the story of the Transfiguration in Mark 9 when v2 stood out for me: 'After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, and they were alone.' Now I know that Jesus didn't have favourites,and that he loved his disciples equally, but there does seem to have been an element of selection here. I wondereed why he had chosen these three in particular to share a very precious moment with him, and not the others.

On pondering this question I came to the conclusion that he chose them because they were the most responsive of the twelve, and perhaps the most ready for what would be revealed to them on the mountain. And whilst we may be equally loved as children of God, our rate of progress in the Christian life is a variable, and we do not all move forward at a uniform pace. It depends on how we are responding to the knowledge and experience we already have.

My thoughts quickly turned to Paul's words in Philippians 3:12-13 : 'Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead,I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

Paul realised that he had a part to play in his own spiritual progress. He had to keep pressing on as if he were running a race, with the same determination and commitment as an athlete.

This thought took me onwards to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 : '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 for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Here the apostle suggests it is not just taking part that matters, but winning the prize. We are not competing against fellow believers, but we are competing against ourselves, and the tendency is to settle for bronze rather than gold because that demands less of us. Coming as these thoughts did during the Euorpean athletic championships in Barcelona helped me see the qualities a winning athlete needs, and the counterpart in the Christian life.

Desire is paramount. Do I truly want to win? Do I really want to know Christ, and to be effective in his service?

Discipline is vital. Can I give myself to strict training? Can I let go of lesser things, and make sacrifices in order to go deeper with God?

Determination is essential. Can I finish the race? Can I keep going to the end or will I give up at the first sign of difficulty, hardship, diappointment or setback?

I was particularly challenged by the British distance runner Mo Farah who won two gold medals. Before the event he had gone to Kenya for 3 months intensive training, living in simple surroundings in the hills with Kenyan runners who were actually far better than himself. He wanted to make progress and was willing to pay the price. His sacrifice paid huge dividends in his medal winning performance.

I don't know about you, but I want to be the best I can be for God, and with his help I want to press on for the greatest prize of all - that of knowing Christ Jesus, and being found in him.