Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)

Race for Eternity

This past weekend (April 9-10, 2011) we had three races in our area (Newark, New Jersey). Saturday morning over a dozen teams from high schools around the state competed in the Passaic River Northern New Jersey Championship Regatta. And in Branch Brook Park as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival we had the Cherry Blossom Challenge bike race on Saturday and a 10K run on Sunday.

Not everyone is eligible to race in these highly competitive races. Although my daughter Lisa was a very successful rower when she was in high school, now that she graduated she can only watch the race from the banks of the river. I used to run in 6K, 10K, and 5 mile races, but I can't run anymore because of injuries. Even though I ride fast, I can't compete in the Cherry Blossom Challenge bike race because I'm not fast enough. Beginning racers ride at an average speed of 25mph, while my average speed is only about 17mph.

Not everyone is eligible to race in these highly competitive races, but there is a race that all of us can enter. In fact, if you are a Christian, then you are already in the race. Unlike the boat races which may last only five minutes, or the bike race which lasts less than an hour. We are in a life-long marathon. The Bible says, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)."¹

Our Christian life is a "race that is set before us." The spectators who are watching us and cheering us toward the goal are the faithful who have already finished their race and are now seated with Christ in heaven. We stay in the race because we can see Jesus waiting for us at the finish line. He has gone before us to show us the way and now is calling us to follow his example. He is waving us forward toward the goal.

If we are to win the race we must keep our eyes on Jesus. Like a batter who keeps his eye on the ball, like a marksman who keeps his eye on the target, like a hound who has spotted the fox, we keep our eyes on Jesus and never give up until the race is done and the prize is won. So we can say, "I run in such a way, as not without aim" knowing that we "run in such a way that [we] may win [an eternal prize] (1 Corinthians 9:24-26)".

Keeping my eyes on Jesus so that I can win the race,

Pastor Steve Lorenz
April 11, 2011

¹ Hebrews 12:1-2, NASB (New American Standard Bible). Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Jesus is the greatest teacher who ever lived. One of Jesus' techniques was to relate spiritual ideas to common everyday life. Pensamientos (afterthought) is an attempt to follow Jesus' method of teaching. Its title is in Spanish because we recognize the importance of multi-culturalism. We hope to translate some of these messages into Spanish soon.

Find more afterthoughts at Pensamientos (afterthoughts).

You can read recent sermons by Pastor Lorenz at Featured Sermon.