17 The Finish Line
Paul was exhausted. He had run over 25 miles in the LA marathon, with a little over a mile to go. His body was about to give out. Paul's breathing was very heavy and his muscles felt like they were on fire. Paul's concentration wavered slightly. He felt like was going to pass out from the enormous fatigue he was feeling. He thought to himself, "Maybe I should slow down. I am going to finish in the top three regardless. That's still a good achievement."
However, Paul then thought of all the grueling practice runs, exercise regimens, and the strict diet he endured for months preparing for this race. "No, that would be silly," Paul thought. "I spent all this time training for this moment - why in the world should I slow down now? I am going for it! I'm going to win the race not matter what it takes! I don't care if I black out or if my body quits on me! I'm finishing strong!"
With that, Paul sprinted madly towards the finish line and narrowly beat his two nearest competitors. As he stumbled and collapsed into a heap shortly past the finished line, his muscles spazzing and knotting in agony and medics rushing towards him, Paul smiled amidst the roar of the spectators and only thought of the sweetness of his hard-earned victory.
Paul the Apostle stated in his epistles that we must run with endurance the race that is set before us. As Christians we must run towards Jesus our goal and we must run with a single-minded determination and focus that we are not distracted by the things of the world around us. Also, Paul states that we need to run in such a way that we obtain a prize. This prize is not some perishable prize, but an imperishable crown Jesus will give us when he returns!
- Recommended reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12:1-3
