The Olympic games start today, and they will be off to the races! Literally off to the races, since running is a big part of the Olympic heritage. As tradition goes, the original Olympics started in 776 BC when a man won a 600 ft race. Of course, the Olympics has expanded with many other competitions, but the race is one that often stands out. Some of the memorable runners were Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, and Usain Bolt.

 The athletes run towards the finish line to win or even compete. God’s Word uses racing as an analogy to how we are to live our lives. Paul states, “You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win” (1 Cor 9:24, ESV). This seems obvious that we should run in such a way to win. What does that really mean?

 As previously stated, RUN TOWARDS THE FINISH. Notice, when a reported interviews after a race no runner comments regarding how they ran far away from the start line. No one cares, because that’s not the point. They don’t run away from the start, they run towards the finish. Seems obvious, but why is much of our lives marked with what we run away from?

-          The job didn’t go well, so I left.

-          The boss was mean, so I left.

-          The marriage didn’t work, so I left.

-          Counseling was too personal, so I left.

What are you running towards?

God consistently shows us that we have a race marked out for us, so run towards the finish!