Win the Entire Race

Shaun King

I realize it's been over a year now, but do any of you remember watching Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt demolish three Olympic records last summer?

The guy was so doggone fast that he started celebrating before he crossed the finish line and still left everyone else in the dust! He was widely criticized for being so boisterous, but something was lost amidst all of the criticism of his swagger.

Usain Bolt trained like a madman to lead the pack in the start of the race, the middle of the race, and in the end as he crossed the finish line.

He knew that if he was going to break "unbreakable" records and win gold medals, being a great starter was not enough. Getting a quick start and pushing hard through the middle wouldn't be enough either.

Usain knew that he was going to have to use all that God gave him from the starting block to the yellow ribbon, if victory was really going to be his!

Hear my heart - in this season the Lord wants you to get a fast wind behind you so that you'll get a quick start, but far too many of our dreams, our ministries, our business, and even our marriages, launch with the loud, flashy boom of July fireworks, but fizzle out at the first sign of bad weather.

This isn't good enough. God did not just call you to get married; He called you to stay married. The Lord didn't just plant a vision in your heart to start a ministry or business in your community; He called you to start a ministry of business that would endure the challenges of our time and still be alive and kicking to tell the story on the other side!

While staring into the face of his young son Solomon, David said in 1 Chronicles 28:20: "Be strong and of good courage, and act. Do not be afraid or dismayed; for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work or the service of the house of the LORD is finished."

In his prayer for the Philippians, the Apostle Paul said it this way, "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6)

Overnight wonders and fast starters are a dime a dozen. The true test that you and I must pass is whether or not we have prepared to win the entire race. My prayer for you today is that you will allow the Spirit of God to give you the endurance that you'll need.

A Consistent Pursuit Of Excellence

Image by midiman via Flickr

Dr. Robb Thompson

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)

They're open, 24/7-all-night gas stations, round-the-clock supermarkets, year-round pharmacies. As believers, doesn't God also call us to faithfully press forward, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week? Many believers are content to stay as ordinary as battery-run wall clocks, only enjoying fleeting moments of greatness, without ever living a fantastic life. The common visit excellence momentarily, although in their minds, they think they do great all the time. They always think about the nice things they did last week or last month. At the same time, they wonder why they annually wait in vain for someone to finally recognize their vast achievements. But what they don't realize is that their pride and their refusal of correction make them utterly unapproachable.

This is a sad observation, but it still stands true-there is absolutely no advancement or promotion without embracing correction. Without embracing the correction and modification that Captain Wingate made in Moshe Dayan's military life, certain battles might have never been won, and where would Israel be today? Remember, none of us are perfect. Every one of us has imperfections we must face. However, as long as we continue to pursue excellence, we are headed in the direction that will consistently make us more like Jesus.

Father, I thank You that I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus takes hold of me. I do not count myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do, I assign to oblivion those things that are behind me and I press on to the things before me.