Are You Running Well?

Consider these facts on running:

• Kelvin Kiptum ran the fastest marathon time at 2:00:35.

• Usain Bolt holds the record for the 100-meter dash at 9.58 seconds.

• 9-10 minutes is the average time for running a mile.

Running is a popular sport. Many countries participate in local, state, country-wide, and even global competitions such as the Olympics. Running is physically healthy in that many have lost weight, improved their cardiovascular system, and have bettered their immune system. Running is psychologically helpful in that it releases endorphins and serotonin, while also decreasing one’s symptoms of anxiety and depression. Running is also spiritually helpful and important. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

Running in the Bible is a response to something important (1 Samuel 3:5; Mark 9:15). It denotes interest (Luke 24:12), excitement (Luke 15:20), and fear (Judges 7:21). Since it is possible to run in vain (Philippians 2:16) or to run with sinners (1 Peter 4:4), we should determine to “run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:2). What is special about this marathon?

• God organized this marathon. The race set before us is the one God ordained—the Christian life.  

• Only certain ones are allowed to run. God only allows baptized members of His church to run. Everyone else is running on Satan’s track (Ephesians 2:2).  

• The finish line is not the same for everyone. The distance of this run may be one week for one (cf. Matthew 20:9) and eighty years for another.

We stand on the track and God’s marathon stands right before us. Will we determine to run well?

Paul wrote “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Fighting appealed to the Romans, the faith to the Jews, but the course to be ran appealed to the Greeks for they were well familiar with running. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth about this great race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Historically, Paul likely had the literal running games in mind when writing this treatise to the Corinthians. The Isthmian games or Corinthian games were performed every third or fifth year. They included many different skill competitions like “wrestling, jumping, javelin and discuss throwing, and most importantly for Paul’s analogy, racing and boxing.”[1] These games included one winner who was crowned with a garland and given a special seat at the next games. Paul used this present-day competition to bring his readers close to the real race before them. He wanted to share with his readers that there was a more important race to run.

The race is unpopular, the run hard, and but the goal worth it. Some look at this race as inferior to the race of the worldly life. Charles Spurgeon observed that

• Some don’t start because they never enter.

• Some enter but don’t start.

• Some carry too much weight.

• Some kick those beside them.

• Some go for a while only to quit in the middle when it gets hard.

Paul talked about this important race; he urged many of his readers to run well (Galatians 5:7). Their souls depended on it. Will you run well?

Endnotes

[1]Brad Price, First Corinthians, www.abiblecommentary.com, 2010, p. 325.