|
The Wrong Race
A
world-class female runner was invited to compete in a
road race in
Connecticut
. On the morning of the race, she drove from
New York City
, following the directions – or so she thought –
given her over the telephone. She got lost, stopped at
a gas station, and asked for help. She knew that the
race started in the parking lot of a shopping mall.
The station attendant also knew of such a race
scheduled just up the road and directed her there.
When
she arrived she was relieved to see in the parking lot
a modest number of runners preparing to compete -- not
as many as she’d anticipated.
It was also an easier race than she’d been
led to expect. She hurried to the registration desk,
introduced herself, and was surprised by the race
officials’ excitement at having so renowned an
athlete show up for their race. No, they had no record
of her entry, but if she’d hurry and put on this
number, she could just make it before the gun goes
off. She ran and, naturally, she won easily, some four
minutes ahead of the first male runner who finished in
second place.
Only
AFTER the race – when there was no envelope
containing her sizable prize and performance money –
did she confirm that the event she’d run was not the
race to which she’d been invited. THAT race was
being held several miles farther up the road in
another town. She had gone to the WRONG starting line,
run the WRONG course, and missed her chance to win a
valuable prize. *
Each
one of US is running in a race... and many of us
are expending a lot of time and effort in completing
the course. How
SAD it would be to learn in the END that we have run
the WRONG course!
The
RIGHT race is the one that is following Jesus! (Hebrews
12:1-2) This
is the ONLY “race” that leads to an ETERNAL
REWARD (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
All other “races”– as thrilling and
fulfilling as they appear to be -- lead to DESTRUCTION
(Mat. 7:13-14).
To
ENTER the right race, we must first BEGIN by becoming
a child of God: through faith
(Acts 16:30-31), repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confession
of Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism
for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
THIS.
. . . is the “STARTING LINE ”
THEN,
we must RUN the right
race: with
our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), running
faithfully according to the prescribed course (1 John
1:7). We
WILL stumble and fall at times, but if we will get
back up and keep running, Jesus WILL
lead us to VICTORY.
Follow
the instructions given in His Word and run in the RIGHT
race.
On
your mark..... Get set...... GO!
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
*
-- Adapted from Thinking And
Acting Like A Christian, D. Bruce Lockerbie, p. 52
To
Subscribe to "Living Water"
send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net
TEXT version: subscribe-livingwater-text@lyris.dundee.net
Follow
this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com
Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website
at: www.creekwoodcc.org
|
