[Run to Win] Rules of the GameSample

Not in Vain

The life of an athlete is quite particular. They train long hours, listen to a coach’s advice, and work hard with only one goal in mind: to win. The objective is to compete to get the opportunity to win. An athlete will never enter a race to lose.

Athletes will start training to improve their natural abilities through training, coaching, and hard work. And when athletes are ready, they will go out and show their progress in competition against others of equal level. When they compete, they need to run with the attitude that they can and will win.

Paul compared life to a race. He ran the race to give the message of the good news of Jesus Christ from city to city, reaching out, particularly to the non-Jewish, or Gentile, regions of the earth. Paul desired that the message of salvation through Jesus Christ would be favorably received by Gentile audiences, leading them to become Christians and join the race of life by following Christ willingly and obediently.

Paul was trained as an athlete by the best coach, God Himself. He was given a specific purpose by God and He equipped Paul with gifts as a speaker and trained him through education and much practice to run the race He would give him. Like a good athlete, Paul did not “run in vain.”

There is no more important race we can run than the race of life. We need to run it committed to the One who called us to run, delivering the message of the good news to those who need to hear it so that we will not have run in vain. There will be pitfalls and struggles, but our Coach will equip us with what we need to make it through. The proof is that God sent us the Holy Spirit to help us; now, it is up to us to train constantly to be ready to win.

Lord, show me how to run the race of life for You and Your glory and not run in vain. Show me the purpose of Your training in my life and in the lives of my friends, family, relatives, and those I meet daily. Lift my faith so that I may run, knowing that I can and will win!