IT'S NOT WORTH IT - THE WRONG RACE

 Greetings beloved, I welcome you to the month of November. I hope you are increasing in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? I will like to admonish you on what I titled ‘The Wrong Race.’
  

 Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The race of faith we are supposed to run is a race that we run with patience, looking unto Jesus. It is a race whose focus and end is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Christian race. Something else that we can extract from what Paul says is that not all that call themselves Christians are running the race, otherwise why the exhortation “LET US RUN… the Race.”
  

 The question I have for you today is, what race are you running? Is there any other race? There is another race raging around us, the world’s race. In this race the final aim is not the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a race that is focus on Him; instead it is a race with various shallow goals. It is a race for financial success, job success, self-fulfillment, more materials, bigger and better homes, bigger income, good cars, more power and influence. It is a race for the “nice”, the beautiful and settled life. It is the race billions of people are running every day.
  

There are therefore two races: the Christian race, the race of faith people run by looking unto Jesus. The race of living a life in obedience to God’s word. This race stands in opposition to the race of the world. The thing is that, despite the fact that we Christians should know better, many times we fall prey to the race of the world. James 4:4 says, “…Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” God’s race is not just in contrast to the race of the world, but also He says He hates it. It is not possible to run two races at the same time. It is not possible to serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24). You have to choose one of the two and as first step you have to recognize which race you are running. Yes, you go to Church every Sunday. But this is not enough compared to the race set before you. I believe the best indicator of the race you are to run is what the word of God and the Spirit of God is saying.
  

 Have you ever asked yourself, why am I here? In answering the question you come to realize that you have a purpose here on earth and in fulfilling such purpose you must run based on the laid down rules and regulations of the creator. Else you will be running your own race (2nd Timothy 2:5). A race ran outside Jesus and His purpose is not but a wastes race.
  God is the only source of life. Jesus said those who seek their life will lose it and those who will lose their lives for his sake shall find it. Many Christians try to save their lives. Jesus’ way is to lose your life to God, submit yourself to God, look unto Jesus and then you will find the right race. Jeremiah 2:13 says, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns , broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” You see, God is saying they have forsaken me, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. They have left my race (a great and awesome purpose for their lives); they have paved another way for themselves, but in such way there is no true fulfillment. There is no purpose; it is not the right race. The further we run in the wrong race the further from God we will be. But there is a path of return.
  

 Beloved, it doesn’t matter how far you think you might have gone far away from God, glory to God. He made U-turn for you. James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you…” In this, some people still expect God to draw near to them first, but you can see you have to initiate the process; you have to go to Him. In Luke 15, the prodigal son did come to himself and returned to his father’s house. God is always ready to receive you and set you on the right course again. In the parable of the sower, three out of four categories are professing Christians. However only one, that last one ran the right race. In the second category are those who are Christians only when the price is cheap. When the price is goes up, when persecutions arise for the sake of the gospel, and then they fall away from the race. They are running the race of approval by the world. The other category is the one choked by the riches and cares of the world. They are the ‘too busy’ ones. They are out there to become rich and to have a happy and beautiful life according to the world’s standards. This aim blurs your vision, so much that at the end, you don’t produce any fruit.
  

We see it also in Paul’s epistles, in 2nd Timothy 4:9-10; Demas a guy that Paul mentioned many times in his letter at the abandoned him and followed the world. Demas was still racing, but for the wrong cause. He was still racing but the race of the world not the race of Christ. It is time to cutoff and stop that race of compromise. Running the race as it’s revealed in the word of God and the leading of the Spirit of God. Lamentations 3:40, 2nd Corinthians 13:5 and Psalm 119:59 speaks same, “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD; Examine yourself, whether ye be in the faith…, I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto they testimonies.”

  

Beloved, it’s time to turn to the right race. It’s time to turn to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Every other race outside the race for Christ and His purpose is a complete waste of time and a low life lived. There is a higher calling, run for such race.
  

 May God bless you richly. Have an awesome month of November. See you next month.