Pilgrim’s
Progress is one of the greatest allegories of the life of a Christian. In it the author, John Bunyan, characterized
our journey through this world as a pilgrimage; a race that everyone can win…but
not easily! If you read that
17th century classic you find there are many trials to overcome and
mountains to climb.
Paul
the apostle used athletic struggle to frame the trials of Christian
pilgrimage. Today we are going to talk
about the Christian race in terms of focus, bridges burned and bridges
built.
The
Principle
Running
the Christian race requires burning some bridges,
and
building others.
There
are some qualities to consider in the Christian runner:
#1. A Christian Runner Ought To
Burn
the Bridge of Mediocrity and Run to Win
In
a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to
win.
To
win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from
doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon
or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never
disappears. 1
Corinthians 9:24 - 25 (TLB)
Years
ago I first heard the expression, don’t let the good become the enemy of the
best. This is an encouragement
to choose well what your target will be.
Often we are tempted to settle for a safe, but lesser-goal, than to reach
for the stars. Paul says “nonsense” – go
for the gold; there’s nothing higher than Christ.
“First
prize” is Christ. Our victory is our faith in Christ. “Running to win” means trusting Christ for
the victory. We sing the hymn, Faith Is the Victory; “Oh, glorious
victory that overcomes the world.”
That’s
burning the bridge of faintheartedness or fear.
It is building the bridge of faith – and that’s what will do – the only
thing that will do – in serving Christ.
#2. A Christian Runner Ought To
Burn
the Bridge to Self and Build the Bridge of Sacrifice
So
I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not
just shadow-boxing or playing around. 1
Corinthians 9:26 (TLB)
There’s
a bridge to burn if you’re going to run by God’s rules. That bridge is self. Jesus said,
If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me. Luke
9.23b
If
you listen to our culture (and you don’t have to listen too closely), it is a
commonly held belief that following the rules is for other people. Being selfish in this generation is almost
considered a virtue. But, that’s this
generation; that’s not Almighty God. He
considers selfishness sin.
If
you’re going to run the Christian race, the bridge you’re going to build is
sacrifice. Paul sacrificed the luxury of
receiving any financial compensation for his work as an apostle. He did so because, to him, the hardship of
poverty was worth the results he saw in reaching people for Jesus
Christ.
Paul
made it clear in personal example, and in other letters, that it is not wrong
for God’s people to support those who labor in the Gospel.
For
the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the
corn. And, The labourer is
worthy of his reward. 1
Timothy 5:18
KJV
In
the early years of serving as a pastor, there were times when I went to a 9-5
job, then made visits and calls at night.
I spent all day every Saturday studying for sermons. Sunday afternoons were for all the church
meetings, sandwiched in-between hospital visits and an hour my family got while
we cleaned the house and did the dinner dishes.
You
can do that kind of thing for a while – but the family suffers, your health
suffers, and eventually the ministry suffers.
Paul loved that schedule – but he had no family responsibilities.
What
about you? Many of you volunteer so much
time, give your talents teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, working on
committees, and doing every new thing the preacher comes up with…. revivals, and
projects! You never get paid for a
single bit of it. Many of you put self
on the back burner. Things get repaired,
painted, donated. Programs get staffed,
upgraded, and promoted.
Every
week volunteers do things in and for the church. They do it all for the glory of God. That is the center of the issue – that’s why
you run! I am grateful for the salary I
receive, but I don’t run for it. If that
ever becomes the case, I’ll quit! Burn
the bridge of self….build the bridge of sacrifice.
#3. A Christian Runner Ought
To
Burn
the Bridge of Laziness and Run Hard every Day
Like
an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it
should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for
the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside. 1
Corinthians 9:27 (TLB)
Age,
temperament, physical condition and energy level aside, we all have 24 hours
each day. We may all work at a different
pace, see things differently, or approach tasks from perspectives that demand
our special talents. The one thing we
cannot afford is laziness. That is a
bridge to burn.
One
Russian proverb is, he's willing to swallow but too lazy to
chew. In place of the burned
bridge of laziness is the building of labor.
No church, family, business or individual ever truly achieved something
worthwhile without hard work.
It
is sometimes difficult to keep your eye on the goal line. Running hard means continuing the course even
when obstacles come along. Our unified
budget need is something we agree upon each year. That is the focus of our tithes – the regular
10% of our income. We bring that into
God’s storehouse as a matter of fact.
The regular ministry expenses and mission offerings are included in
that.
An
obstacle, or unexpected bump in the road, like paying off the building debt
early, going on additional mission trips, unexpected love offerings for singing
groups and the like – these are bumps we must deal with, but never forget these
are done with over-the-tithe offerings.
In short, give your tithe – the Lord expects that. When other opportunities come, give
sacrificially as you can. The Lord will
bless you for that. And when pressed
into difficult circumstances, be the most generous you have ever been – it’s
then His miracles come to the surface.
But, in any event, run hard in building your bridge of
labor.
paul’s
focus
No,
dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies
to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies
ahead, I
strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is
calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.
Philippians 3:13 - 14
(TLB)
To
press toward something is to keep
focused on the desired result. Bill
McCartney is the founder of Promise Keepers.
His testimony about life as a successful football coach includes a bridge
of distraction.
“When
I took the job as head football coach at the University of Colorado in 1982, I
made a solemn promise: I told everybody that with me, God was first, family
second, and football third.
But
I didn't keep that promise for long. The thrill and the challenge of
resurrecting a football program in disarray simply took too much time and
attention. As my teams kept winning year after year, I kept losing focus of my
priorities.
When
we won the national championship in 1990, many people said I had reached the
pinnacle of my profession. But for me, there was an emptiness about it. I had
everything a man could want, and yet something was missing. I was so busy
pursuing my career goals that I was missing out on the Spirit-filled life that
God wanted me to have. All because I
had broken my promise to put God first and foremost in my life.
I
have a sign in my office. It says: 70% of Leaders Never Finish! That’s what running to win is all about. I want to finish my course as a pastor, a
witness of Jesus Christ, being a son, husband, father and grandfather, and as a
good steward – with a win.
I
want to go on like John Wesley, one of the greatest preachers of the last
millennium. Here’s a single page from
his journal:
·
"Sunday
a.m., May 5 - Preached in St. Ann’s; was asked not to come back
anymore.
·
Sunday
p.m., May 5 - Preached in St.
John’s; deacons said, ’Get out and stay out.’
·
Sunday
a.m., May 12 - Preached at St. Jude’s; can’t go back there
either.
·
Sunday
p.m., May 12 - Preached at St. George’s; kicked out again.
·
Sunday
a.m., May 19 - Preached at St. Somebody Else’s; deacons called a special meeting
and said I couldn’t return.
·
Sunday
p.m, May 19 - Preached on the street; kicked off the
street.
·
Sunday
a.m., May 26 - Preached out in a meadow; chased out of meadow when a bull was
turned loose during the service.
·
Sunday
a.m., June 2 - Preached out at the edge of town; kicked off the
highway.
·
Sunday
p.m., June 2 - Afternoon service, preached in a pasture; 10,000 people came."
I
want to be faithful despite whatever my fainthearted ways previously; I want to
go out a winner in faith. I want to come
to the end and hear, Well done, thou good
and faithful servant
How
is your running? Have you come to that
point in your life where you finally said, That’s it!
I am not settling any more. I am
going to stop this merry-go-round right now.
I will not run with the world any more.
I hereby declare my cheese moved!
I want peace. I want
purpose. I want the power that comes
with Jesus.
If
you have not come to that point, but sense it may be near…allow me the privilege
of praying with you today. Step forward
as we sing the next hymn. Come in this
invitation, ready to pray with others who will be coming. Together we will make our commitments to run
by the rules, run hard every day, and run to win. Come as we make the commitment to Jesus to be
faithful stewards.
