Finishing the Race – Strong! (19)

What do we do when we succumb to peer pressure, fear, or otherwise veer off the course which our Lord Jesus has set out for us? What do we do when we intentionally abandon the race? What do we do when we realize that we’ve bought into false teaching and evil practices? 

Our initial response to the realization of what has happened is critical, for the sooner we run to Jesus the better, the sooner we wrap our arms around the Cross the sooner we are cleansed and made whole. Conversely, the longer we persist in our sin the deeper spatial disorientation affects us and the greater the danger that our hearts will be hardened into a self-righteousness fortress. 

The promise to those who know Jesus is that if we confess our sins that He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We have the assurance that if we sin that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 1:9 – 2:2).

Abandoning the race often begins with little things, with things we don’t think matters. A little lie here or there. Putting ourselves ahead of others, just a little here or there. Rationalizing giving into the world’s way of doing things, of going along to get along. Playing religious games. Justifying ourselves when we push the Way of the Cross from us and embrace our own way. 

We don’t know the process that Demas went through, but we do know that it resulted in him abandoning Paul in Paul’s time of acute need and loving the world in place of loving God and His People. Demas abandoned his friends in Christ to embrace the false friends and enticements of the world. 

Our Lord Jesus is with us to restore us, we must never believe the lie that He wants to push us away; we are His brothers and sisters and He loves us and wants us to live in deep relationship with Him and our Family. He came to bring us back to our Father, He came to bring us into holy koinonia with the Trinity and with one another. We must never ever think otherwise of Him, who when we were enemies reconciled us to our Father (Romans 5:10). 

For those who remain on the racecourse, it is wise to recall Paul’s words, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1Cor. 10:12). We are to restore others “in a spirit of gentleness” and are to be careful of our attitudes lest we fall into self-righteousness (Gal. 6:1). Paul teaches that, “We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves” (Rom. 15:1). 

There are times we need to be strong for others and help them along in the race, and there are times when we need others to be strong for us. We cannot run this race by ourselves, we need Jesus and we need others, we are members of His Body. 

We should be aware that there are different ways to abandon the race and perhaps the most subtle is to say nothing and to do nothing, to just blend in with our surroundings. We have all been given the Great Commission to make disciples, to share the Light and Life of Jesus Christ with those around us; this is a key element in running the race that Christ Jesus has set before us, to share Him with others. Let us not be so foolish to think that we can cross the finish line without witnessing to Jesus in both word and deed, such a finish line is of our own making. 

Do not allow yourself to think that you are running the race of a disciple if sharing Christ with others is not part of the fabric of your life – in your explicit speech and in your actions. We must insist on faithfulness to Jesus in this matter of witness, we are called to bring others to Him, to point others to Him. We are to be His Presence in word and deed to those around us. 

This is hard for many to read, and hard to write, for most of us do not share Jesus with others, most of our churches do not teach that this is our calling, that it is not an option but rather a matter of obedience, a matter of life and death for those around us. We will speak of politics and economics and even of worldviews, but we will not speak of Jesus. Why sometimes we will even talk about church, but we will not talk about Jesus. How can this be? 

Running the race means witnessing for Jesus Christ in word and deed. We must have both wings of the airplane, the Word of the Gospel and the works of the Gospel. 

Perhaps the beginning of a life of faithful witness begins with the confession to trusted brethren that we have been selfish and disobedient in this matter. As long as we hide this sin, this disobedience to the command of Jesus, the sin will continue to spread its roots in our soul. Let us confess our sin to God and to our brethren and begin to share Jesus with others in word and deed. 

We can even begin our witness to others with a confession. I once asked a coworker to forgive me for I had worked with her for about a year and had never shared the most important thing in my life with her, my relationship with Jesus Christ. O dear friends, once we bring our sin into the light it cannot hide and we can be set free. 

Sometimes we get witnessing right, and sometimes we get it wrong; sometimes we could have done better, but if we never go up to the plate with the bat and swing we will never make contact with the ball. God is greater than our fears and our limitations, He is the Great Redeemer. What matters is that we love others enough to share Jesus with them, to be sincere and concerned for them, to truly want them to know Jesus. Polished speech does not matter, but a tender heart does. 

It's never too late to get back on the racecourse. It’s never too late to begin to witness for Jesus. It’s never too late to begin living a life of love and courage. Mark got back on the course, so can we.