"Run the Race to the Finish"

 STAY FOCUSED AND AVOID STUMBLING

The contestants in a long-distance race keep and eye on the road immediate in from them so they do  not stumble. However, they might still accidentally be tripped by a fellow runner or step into a pothole. If they do fall down, they get back up; and keep on running.  They foscus primarily, not on what made them stumble, but on the finish line and the prize they hope to win. 

In our race, we may stumble many times, making mistakes in what we say or do.  Or our fellow runners may make mistakes that hurt us.  That is to be expected.  We are all imperfect, and we are all running on the same cramped road to life.  So we are bound to  "bump" against one another at times.  Paul acknowledged that we at times wouldl give one another "cause for complaint."  (Colossians 3:13)  But rather than focus on what made us stumble, let us focus on the prize ahead.  If we do stumble, let us to choose to get back up and keep in running. If we become bitter and resentful and refuse to get back up, we will not cross the finish line and receive the prize.  In addition, we likely to become an obstacle for others who are trying to run on the cramped road to life.

Another way we can avoid becoming "a stumbling block" to our fellow runners is by yielding to their preferences whenever possible instead on insisting on our rights.  (Romans 14:13, 19-21; 1 Corinthians 8:9, 13)  In this important way, we are not like runners in a literal race.  They compete against the other runners, and each runner strives to gain the prize just for himself. Those runners think primarily about their own interests.  So they may try to push  their way to the front of hte pack. By contrast, we are not competing against one another.  ( Galatians 5:26; 6:4)   Our goal is to help as many as possible to cross the finish line with us and gain the prize of life.  So we try to apply Paul's counsel to  "look our not only for [our] own interests, but also for the interests of others." - PHILIPPIANS 2:4.

In addition to looking at the road immediately in front of them, the runners in a literal race focus on the finish line.   Even if  they cannot see that line with their literal eyes, they can imagine themselves crossing it and receiving the prize.  They stay motivated by keeping the prize clearly in mind. 

In the race that we run, Jehovah has kindly offered  his peop,e a guraanteed reward for completing the race-everlasting life either in heaven or an a paradise earth.  The Scriptures provide previews of this reward, so that we can imagine how wonderful our life will be.  The more we keep the hope alive in our mind and heart, the less likely we are to allow anything to stumble us permanently.

Next time: "Run the Race to the Finish " - KEEP RUNNING DESPITE CHALLENGES

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