Speaker: Sis. Techie Rodriguez, Elder, The Lord's Flock Catholic Charismatic Community

" The Great Annual Race "

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, likened our life to a race. (1 Corinthians 24-27).

? We are like runners in the stadium.(verse 24 ). [ During Paul's time,athletic games and sports competition were held in the stadium.]

? Only one wins the prize . (verse 24).

? Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. (verse 25).

? They do it to win a perishable crown. (verse 25).

? Paul himself does not run aimlessly. (verse 26).

? Paul drives and trains his body. (verse 27).

OUR LIFE IS A GREAT RACE TO BE WON!

Our life is a great race towards our goal. Every year is a leg in our race to the finish line. Every one of us is a runner who wants to win by finishing the race. Each of us aspires to win an “imperishable crown”.

In reality, do we really care whether we win the race or we lose it? If we really want to win the race, what must we do to win? Do we train and prepare ourselves for the run? Do we discipline ourselves in order not to become weary, not to get discouraged, and not to quit the race? Are we ready to finish the race anytime our Lord calls us?

HOW TO WIN THE GREAT RACE

Our life is like an athletic race. We are inevitably entered in this competition.

How do we win this race? There are four very important factors to consider:

1. GOD ALMIGHTY

Our Best Coach For The Race

Athletic runners and sports teams usually have coaches who are in-charge of training the athletes and of applying strategies in the games.

As we run our own personal race, we need a good coach to train us and to advise us. The best coach is God Almighty. He will teach and guide us with the rules of the race, where to run the race, how to run the race, and how to pace ourselves.

Let us ask God to be our coach. Let us make him our coach. This is our first step in order to be blessed to win the race! Without God, we will never finish the race.

2. DISCIPLINE

A Training To Win The Race

Discipline is training that develops self-control, character, orderliness and efficiency. “ Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.” (1 Corinthians 9:25).

As a runner in our race to our spiritual goal, we should train rigorously in order to develop the following disciplines:

A. Discipline of Body – A rigorous training is needed to discipline the body. This training should include physical exercises, diet control, and medical check-ups. “I drive my body and train it.” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

B. Spiritual D iscipline – The spiritual runner must have a devotional life of spiritual discipline that includes prayer life, quiet time, Bible study, and journaling. Jesus sets a good example with his faithful communication with his Father. “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35). Without spiritual discipline, the runner in the race can easily fall prey to the distractions and attacks of the devil.

C. Discipline of the Mind – For us to win the race, we should have moral discipline of our mind. We should have discipline in everything we think, say, and do. In our country, many of us lack discipline in observing cleanliness, traffic rules, and other laws of our country.

Let us pray and ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of self-control. With this grace, we can control our human desires and appetites. We can lead a disciplined life.

3. DIRECTION

A Must To Reach Our Goal

Paul asks us not run aimlessly in our race to reach our goal. (1 Corinthians 9:26). He asks us not to look back, not to dwell on things of the past, and to forget failures that burden our life. “I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead. I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus. Let us, then, who are ‘perfectly mature' adopt this attitude.” (Philippians 3:13-15).

Let us bury unpleasant things of the past – failures, wounds, hurts, and even persecutions. After we have asked forgiveness from God for our sins and failures, let us not keep any guilt within us. Let us forget such past and look forward to what lies ahead.

As we run forward in our race, let us direct our attention to our goal; and this goal is no other than Jesus. Let us keep running and focus our eyes on Jesus. “…Let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

4. PROPER DRESS

A Requirement For The Race

Athletes must be properly dressed for the races and the games. They must wear their official uniforms or athletic suits. Similarly, as runners in our race for eternal life, we should be properly dressed. We should not carry weights that can slow us down. These weights include too much concern for material things, love for money, intellectualism, unforgiveness, grudges, and many others. Sin is the heaviest weight in our life. As we run, we should remove all these weights and retain only the proper dress of faith, spirituality, and perseverance. (Hebrews 12:1). We shall then be ready to “run so as to win” (1 Corinthians 9:24) and be awarded with the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8) and eternal life with our Lord. (John 3:16, 5:24).