Christian life is likened to a marathon in the Bible. Unlike the athletic competition, the race for a Christian lasts a lifetime. If you are not dead, you aren’t finished yet. You still have time to push forward in the race and win.

1 Corinthians 9:24

“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.”

Just as in any athletic competition, the runner runs for a prize, a Christian also runs for a prize. The difference being the prize the runner in athletic competition runs for is temporary or perishable, whereas the Christian runs for an imperishable prize that profits much, having both earthly and primarily, eternal or imperishable rewards.

1 Timothy 4:8

“Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important for it promises a reward in both this life and next.”

But in your Christian journey, you might have taken different turns and missed your mark. And you are disappointed thinking there is no hope. Or winning the prize now seems like a far fetched idea. The passion with which you set off in the beginning only seems to have waned off now. Let me encourage you my readers that there is still hope!

You may be coming to the starting blocks with regrets over personal, family or spiritual failure. You may have stumbled coming out of the blocks. You may have tripped during the race. You may even be starting the race a little late, but God can help you make up for the lost time. He can help you pick up speed in the last half of the race and cover more ground in less time than the average runner.

Philippians 1:6

“I am confident of this very thing that He who began a good work will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

God is not done with you yet, my readers. What God starts ,He finishes. What God initiates, He completes. It may appear that God is doing nothing and everything is up to us. Yet He routinely works behind the scenes to lead us towards the finish line. God has an unmistakable, amazing way of using even failure to bring about success.

Philippians 3:13

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”

Paul had a shady past: He persecuted and oppressed the church. One day Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. That encounter changed Paul’s life. If Paul could shake off his past and strive towards winning the prize, we can also learn the wisdom of forgetting failures and run towards the goal marked out for us with joy!

Let’s live with kingdom-disciple attitude like Paul. Our lives as Christians is so much different than those who have not known Christ. We live not as the world since God has called us to live for His glory in whatever we do. This adds so much meaning in our day to day life because God values how we do everything whether anyone sees us or not. This gives us a greater sense of purpose behind everything we do. When we start living for the glory of God, we experience joy as our earthly reward. Christ Himself endured the cross for the joy set before Him. He endured such shame and affliction so that you and I will not lose heart.

I hope you are already feeling ecstatic thinking of running your race ahead passionate for Christ’s glory who saved you with His precious blood.