RUN SUCH THAT YOU MAY FINISH THE RACE

Pastor Clement Affram

SCRIPTURE(S):

I CORINTHIANS 9:24-27

I TIMOTHY 6:12; 4:7

                                                       

INTRODUTION     

The Christian walk like a race. At the beginning all the athletes are allowed to start at the time avoiding any false start by any of the contestants. Hence it is expected that they all finish same time all things been equal. However, a winner is needed in the end to be awarded a title or a price.

 The Christian walk as well rewarding but unlike the racers whereby only the winner is awarded, all those who finish the walk shall receive a crown.

 The Apostle Paul likens the Christian to the racers, so he writes;

24- “know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but only one rece1iveth the prize”.

He adds that because only one receives the prize, we must run that we may obtain the prize.

PREPARATIONS TOWARDS THE RACE

1.      You must put yourself to a strict training –

a.       Be on a special diet

b.      Restrict yourself of some foods - you need a specialist to manage you on diet.

c.       You need to have a coach

All these are done to reduce wait

2.      Those who run put themselves to hardship;

a.       The boxers consistently hit  bags sand at training times

b.      The athletes consistently run at long hours and sometimes climbing a hill.

c.       Footballers are made play over time more than the usual 90 min. so as to prepare them for extra time and even penalty kick.

3.      They practice the exercises;

a.       The baton ‘relayers’ practice how to change the baton with their counterpart.

b.      Footballers do same practices and any other sports or activities. Eg. BNWC group singers

4.      The athletes put the flesh to suffering

5.      They spend time in their exercises to build up stamina (endurance), even when they are tied they must run or fight until it is all over.

-          Never say die until it is all over

HOW TO RUN

The Christian must;

1.      Have an aim. i.e. aim at finishing the Christian walk as a winner. He should keep focus. (vs. 24, 26) Like the athlete, you should be able to calculate your steps to outrun the one leading you.

2.      Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. (Philippians 3:13)

3.      Like the athlete, the Christian must restrict himself of many things e.g. go without food, lock up himself in a room, or hide out, sometimes abstain from sex. The athlete calculates the amount of food in calories to eat in orders to maintain a lighter body so as to become lighter and quicker. (vs. 25)

4.      The Christian life should become what he practices, read the bible, study it, and meditate on it and spend a good quality time in prayer.

5.      He must exercise self-control so that he does not yield to the fleshly desires. Don’t pamper the body and it’s needful lust and appetite.

6.      He must test himself periodically to see if he is in the faith, that after preaching to others he would not be disqualified – I Cor. 9: 27.  

NB: You may be disqualified so be vigilant. A false start, running out of truck and leaving your baton behind disqualifies you. Be vigilant.  

                                                                                

CONCLUSION

The athletes run to win corruptible prizes but we do to win an incorruptible prize. It is on the winner who is awarded but in Christianity all those who finish are rewarded. Like John Stephen Akhawari, a Tanzanian national athlete who represented his country in the 1968 Olympic game in Mexico, we must finish the race come what may!

Start at right and keep focus and finish hard

Never say die until it all over.

In the end, you should be able to this;

I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE AND I HAVE REMAINED FAITHFUL.8. AND NOW THE PRIZE AWAITS ME - THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH THE LORD, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, WILL GIVE ME ON THE DAY OF HIS RETURN. AND THE PRIZE IS NOT JUST FOR ME BUT FOR ALL WHO EAGERLY LOOK FORWARD TO HIS APPEARING. (II TIMOTHY 4:7, 8.) NIV

                  

PRESENTED BY

P/OVR. CLEMENT AFRAM

ON 9^TH JUNE, 2013. John Stephen Akhwari represented his country Tanzania to compete in the marathon and had made history in the 1968 Mexican Olympics. This was not because of the fact that he won the marathon that he participated in, but that he finished it.

Now of course, most Olympic athletes finish the race; but this man was something different altogether.

This was what happened as described by a narrator:

"It was almost 7pm in Mexico City, October 1968. One hour earlier the winners of the 26 mile Olympic marathon had crossed the finish line. It had been a grueling hot day as the high altitude affected all the athletes. The sky was beginning to darken and most of the stadium was empty. As the last few spectators were preparing to leave, police sirens and flashing lights caught their attention. A lone runner, wearing the colours of Tanzania had just emerged through the stadium gate. Limping, with his leg bandaged he found the last of his endurance to step up his pace and finish the race. His name was John Stephen Akhwari."

In the early parts of the race, Stephen had fallen and badly cut his knee and dislocated his joint. However, despite the injury, he still pressed on and finished the race as the last person of the 57 competitors who finished.

When asked why he chose to carry on despite his injury, he made a most simple but powerful statement:

“My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish.”

His story of perseverance has touched countless lives. He was named the King without a crown. Truly, his story of perseverance is something that all of us should learn from.

While not all of us can become top athletes like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt, but all of us can have that spirit of persistence like John Stephen Akhwari. You may not have the talent of the top people in your field, but you can always have the same spirit and character that all great men possess.

As a leader, having that same spirit of persistence is important because it will be probably the most important factor that will help you succeed. No matter how many times you fail, you will succeed eventually if you do not give up.

This video on leadership perseverance has touched many people and I believe that it will touch the people that you show it to too. I hope that this video will bless you as much as it has blessed me.