Let's Win the Race by the Rigorous Preparations

Scripture: Philippians 3:13

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

Insights: The phrase “one thing” is very important in the Bible.  For example, Jesus said to the self-righteous rich young ruler, “One thing you lack. . . .”  To Martha when she criticized her sister Mary Jesus said, “One thing is needful. . . .”  The blind man who received his sight from Jesus said to the religious leaders, “One thing I know!”  David cried out in his psalm, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after!”  James did not use those two words, but he expressed the heart behind them when he wrote, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (1:8).”  We are called to be of a singular mind and that focus is to be on the Lord.  Too often we allow our past successes or failures to get in our present and it hinders our progress in the race we are running.  As a result, Paul was telling us he was not going to allow anything to hinder his reaching forward to what lies ahead of him.  Like the athlete who is training for a physical race, so Paul was going to train for the race and after he had finished that training, he was going to train some more.  Then, when race day came, he was going to win.  In the physical world, the athlete is going to train by eating right, lifting weights, studying the sport, visualizing the victory, running long distances, running sprints, and actually practicing the event for which they have been chosen to run.  In our Christian walk we call those training exercises spiritual disciplines.  These are the things we often do alone when no one is around.  These disciplines are preparing us for our spiritual race we live every day in our public life.  These disciplines consist of, but are not limited to, our quiet times with the Lord, prayer, fasting, private worship in song, tithing and giving of offerings, spiritual retreats, and journaling.  These disciplines prepare us for the race which is more public in nature.  The race consists of our corporate worship and Bible study, evangelism, ministry to the needy, mission opportunities and on and on this list goes.  Beloved, we need to not let our past or anything else hinder our training for the race.  Rather, we need to press on and run for the victory knowing our rigorous preparations have paid off.

Questions:

1. Do you have that singular mind to run the race?
2. Are you allowing your past to hinder your ability to win the race?

Prayer: Father, my past is full of successes and failures.  It is so easy to get caught up in both of those dynamics.  Set my heart clearly on You and let me pursue you with a more invigorating zeal.  Amen.