Life is a contest. The stakes are high. The honors are eternal. The problem is most Christians never seem to see it that way. Paul saw it. He compared the Christian life with a track meet. "Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown of laurel that will not last but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man shadow boxing. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Faith for the end times requires this insight. We must see the invisible war that rages now. We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines or run aimlessly through life. We need to discover the place God has for us in His lineup. There we must stand until victory is won. We must fear, not danger, but sin. The Christian lives under the rules and within the boundaries of Gods Word. We must find the path of obedience and stay in it until we finish our course with joy. Faith for the end times requires discipline. Discipline develops the qualities of a champion. One of the key qualities required in a contest is perseverance. It is not always the fast starter who wins a race. The runner must keep up his pace to the end. The end times will be times that try mens souls as much or even more than the suffering of Job. This will demand extraordinary endurance. Patience has always been necessary for those who serve the Lord. Abraham waited many years for the birth of Isaac. David was hunted by Saul during a long ordeal of patience before he ascended the throne. Pauls prayers for the storm tossed ship in which he traveled were not answered until all hope was gone. Christians have always waited for the coming of Christ. However, as the menacing shadows of the end times threaten us the eagerness of our waiting for Christ will intensify. By the help of the Holy Spirit we must learn to be "steadfast, unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord" forasmuch as we know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58). None that wait upon the Lord will be disappointed.
_________________SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
Amen.I will not quit! By his grace this race is runnable. Praise Jesus!
_________________Travis