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Run Your Race and
Finish Your Assignment
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God has a special plan for each of us. The main goal of
believers should be to find God’s plan for their lives and then to go after it
with all their might and strength. Each of us is in some kind of race - people watch
as spectators to see if we will win our battles. We must always keep in mind that
we’re running a race that has influence on many people’s lives - let us run our race in a way that encourages bystanders who are
watching from the sidelines to jump into the race themselves and pursue their destiny in God
Rick Renner
Oh, how thankful I am for the precious call of God upon my life.
Aren’t you thankful that He called and chose you too?
God has a special plan for each of us.
The main goal of believers should be to find God’s plan for their
lives and then to go after it with all their might and strength.
That is what I want to talk to you about in my letter today!
But first, I want to say THANK YOU for your faithful support of
all that we are doing right now. We are pursuing the goal of providing teaching
people can trust and to get that teaching to hungry hearts all over the world.
But we can only do this effectively because of partners that
support us to accomplish it. There is simply no way I can exaggerate or
emphasize enough the important role each of our partners plays in this work
— for all eternity.
You are making a huge difference, and Denise and I want to
personally thank you!
I also want to tell you that we are inching closer to the finish
line for what we need for the expansion of our TV offices in Moscow.
We are almost there! Thank you for your continued prayers for this
venture — that we’ll soon have all the funds we need to finish this assignment.
I want to express my deep thankfulness to every person who has
participated in this faith project. When we reach the finish line, we’ll let
you know it’s done, and we’ll all be shouting together about this amazing
victory!
Today I want to take you to First Corinthians 9:24, where 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.”
The Holy Spirit through Paul is teaching here that each of us is
in some kind of race.
That word “race” is the Greek word stadion, which later became our word “stadium.”
However, it first described a racecourse that was 600 feet in
length or one-eighth of a Roman mile — the exact length that was used in the
athletic competitions of the ancient world, including the Isthmian Games that
were held near the city of Corinth.
Because Paul was highly educated, he knew precisely what he was
doing when he used a word that described the racecourses of his day.
As I just noted, eventually the word stadion became the word for a stadium, the place
where athletic competitions were held.
Since this is the picture Paul had in his mind as he used the word
“race,” let’s stop to consider the competitions of that time.
The winners of these competitions were rewarded both materially
and with great honor.
However, if you study these champions of the ancient world, you
will see that the primary emphasis of the reward was not material wealth, but
rather the distinguished honor bestowed on the winners of those games.
You see, these champions were only able to achieve victory in
those games by being disciplined, balanced, and committed to excellence.
For possessing these qualities that they had to develop and
display so consistently and perseveringly, they were held in high regard.
These champions became revered as heroes, gods, or icons in their
society. Respect, honor, notoriety, and fame became their lifelong reward.
In addition to these ideas, it’s important to notice something
else about the word “race,” from the Greek word stadion that depicted the huge arena where the
competitions were held.
Paul used this word to tell us that when we enter our race of faith, it puts us in the center of the
arena.
People see us as we walk by faith. They know of our struggles, and
they watch as spectators to see if we will win our battles.
We must always keep in mind, therefore, that we’re not running a
private race of faith, but rather a race that has influence on many people’s
lives.
Hence, Paul urges us to run our race in a way that encourages
bystanders who are watching from the sidelines to jump into the race themselves
and pursue their destiny in God!
By using these ideas, Paul was communicating to us that we need to
see ourselves as spiritual competitors!
But this life we lead is no game; it is the most serious
competition we will ever face in this world.
And the rewards of a life well lived are enormous.
Not only will God materially reward us as we are faithful to His
call, but He also reserves eternal rewards
of honor and glory for those who run their race well in this life (see Romans 2:10).
It is interesting that Paul said, “…They which run in a race
run all….”
Notice particularly the words “run all.” It means every believer is in some kind of race. That
person may not have awakened to the race he is in yet, or perhaps the race
hasn’t yet been revealed to him.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that God has a specific plan for
every individual.
Our task is to find the divine plan for our lives; to “get in shape”
so we can run our race; and then to run like mad so we can finish in first place!
That’s why Paul exhorted us, “… Run, that ye may obtain” (1 Corinthians 9:24).
You see, runners have one thought foremost in their minds — the finish line!
With this analogy in mind, Paul is telling you to run your
spiritual race with all your might, keeping your focus on the goal — the divine
call on your life as God has revealed it to you.
You may ask, “How long am I supposed to keep running and trying
to reach my God-given goals?”
The answer is, until you “obtain” what God has called you
to do!
The word “obtain” is the Greek word katalambano, which is a compound of two words, kata and lambano.
The word kata describes something that is coming downward, and the word lambano means to take or to seize something.
When compounded into one word, katalambano means to grab hold of, to seize, to wrestle, to pull down, and to
finally make a desired object your very own.
This is the picture of someone who finally sees what he wants —
and instead of letting that goal he desires slip away, he pounces on it,
seizing it and latching hold of it with all his might!
Paul uses this word katalambano to
depict the attitude of a runner who is running with all his energy, straining
forward as he keeps his focus fixed on the finish line.
At last, the runner reaches the goal, and the prize is now his! He
gave that race all he had to give, and it paid off!
Had he approached the race with a casual, lazy attitude, the prize
would have gone to another. But because he ran to obtain that prize, in the end, that’s exactly what
he did!
There is no doubt that you have a divine purpose for your life —
something God has called you to do.
God has marvelous ideas and plans for you! The question is
this: Do you WANT to fulfill His plans for you?
If your answer is truly yes, then set your heart on your goal.
Don’t be halfhearted, mealy-mouthed, touchy, or easily discouraged. It’s time
for you to develop some resolve!
Do you see yourself as someone who is running the spiritual race
of his or her life? Or are you simply “jogging for Jesus”?
If you’re serious about fulfilling God’s plan for your life, it’s
time to shift into high gear and to start putting all your spiritual, mental, and
physical energies into getting the job done. You have to remove all
distractions and commit yourself to a life of discipline, balance, and
devotion.
To maintain the many victories the apostle Paul had won, he knew
he had to remain vigilant. That is why he wrote, “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 9:27).
The word “castaway” in Greek is adokimos, which means disapproved, discredited, or disqualified.
This is the picture of a person who won some type of victory, but
lost it due to negligence. Now that person has become a “castaway.” It
is the portrait of a winner who has lost his victory.
People often make the mistake of thinking that just because
they’ve had a victory in the past, they will automatically have a victory in
the future.
Many people — having won a great victory — later make the mistake
of letting down their guard and giving in to their flesh. As a result, they
lose their victory!
Paul didn’t consider himself so high and mighty that he couldn’t
imagine this happening to him.
Rather than letting his flesh get the best of him and making the
same mistake others had made, Paul chose to keep his flesh under control. That
is why he said, “… I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.…”
The word “subjection” is a compound of the word doulos and ago.
The word doulos is the
word for a slave, and the word ago is the
Greek word that means to lead.
Placed together, these words for “subjection” mean to lead about like a slave. This means that Paul mastered his body rather than allowing his body
and flesh master him.
He was determined to keep his body in “subjection” and to
lead his flesh about as his slave rather than become its slave, pandering to its carnal desires that
would inevitably lead him into defeat.
By mastering his body and keeping it under his control, Paul
turned his flesh into a mighty instrument:
· His feet became his tools to
take the Gospel to places that had never heard the Good News.
· His eyes became his instruments through
which he was able to identify needs that God’s power could meet.
· His voice became a voice of salvation to bring healing and deliverance to
those who heard him preach.
· His hands became the hands of God that
brought a healing and compassionate touch to those in need.
After winning many victories, Paul knew he still needed to keep
his body and flesh under control so he could keep winning
and not lose the victories he’d already won.
So Paul kept his flesh under his command and made it his slave for
the purpose of accomplishing God’s will.
Is your body an instrument God
can use, or is it a tool the devil uses to lure you into seasons in which you
lose the victories God gave you in the past?
Don’t join the ranks of those who once had great victories, but
now live in defeat because they refused to master themselves.
Instead, turn your body into a mighty weapon that the Holy Spirit
can use!
To win your God-ordained race, you MUST have the attitude, “I’m going to RUN this race, and I’m going to WIN it! I’m not
going to live my whole life missing out on what God has for me!
“No matter what inconvenience I must endure, what price I have to
pay, or what adjustments I need to make, I am going to faithfully run my race
so that one day, I can obtain the prize — the fulfillment of God’s call on my
life!
“Furthermore, I’m going to master my body so that it becomes a
mighty instrument God can use to touch those around me!”
My friend, God wants you to jump in the race and run it to
complete victory — and then to do all that is needed to maintain that victory! You can do it!
If you need someone to pray
with you about this, please contact us and let us know. We count it a
privilege to put our faith together with yours for the victory that you need to
reinforce in your life right now.
Thank you so much for allowing me to minister this word to you
today. Oh, how I pray it has been a blessing to you. We love you and thank God for you!
We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus
Christ,
Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel and their families
Rick and
Denise met while they were each on an individual quest to wholeheartedly follow
God’s plan for their lives. Rick was a college student, growing in his teaching
ministry. Denise was a talented vocalist. She chose not to pursue a course that
held the prospect of performing with the Metropolitan Opera so that she could
instead pursue a relationship with Rick and fulfill her heart’s desire to enter
full-time ministry.
Rick and
Denise’s friendship has led to a lifelong love and a powerful partnership in
building the Kingdom of God. After a decade of ministry, first as pastors and
then as itinerant ministers, Rick and Denise Renner embarked on an adventure of
a lifetime. In January 1991, the Renners and their sons — Paul (then 8), Philip
(then 6), and Joel (then 2) — left behind all they knew to relocate their
family to serve the region that only weeks earlier had become the former Soviet
Union.
Rick and
Denise remember kneeling together as a family and kissing the ground when they
arrived at the airport in Latvia on that cold January day. In that moment, they
all committed their lives to the will of God and to the people of their new
homeland. The following year, Rick moved forward to launch and establish the
first of its kind — and eventually the largest — Christian television network
in that region of the world.
Over the
years, Rick and Denise pioneered three churches, a Bible school, and a
ministerial association that serves thousands of Russian-speaking pastors
throughout the former USSR as well as parts of the Middle East. As Rick began
training and mentoring leaders in the early days, Denise also developed a
women’s ministry that is actively involved in changing the lives of women and
their families today. Specifically, they minister to the needs of orphans,
women prisoners, the homeless, and drug-and-alcohol addicts.
The sun is like a bridegroom, fully dressed in wedding garb,
radiating joy as he comes forth. It is also like a champion runner, fully able
to run the race and gain the victory. The sun’s energy, radiating out in all
directions, not only energizes the earth but the entire solar system as well.
Furthermore, it is now known that the sun traverses the galaxy in a gigantic
orbit with its energy bathing each part. Only the Creator of space, time, and
energy — the Creator of the sun, the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and
the universe — could have known these things. 
Chemical Composition Of
The Sun
