The Heavenly Race

1 Corinthians 9:24. Know you not that they who run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain.

Religion is a business of the greatest importance; the soul, which is the more noble and divine part, is concerned in it; and as we act our part here, so we shall be forever happy or miserable. The advice of Solomon in this case is most seasonable: whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor wisdom in the grave where you go (Ecclesiastes 9:10). The business of religion requires our utmost zeal and intention (Matthew 11:12).

Sometimes the work we are to do for heaven is set out by striving (Luke 13:24): strive to enter in at the strait gate — strive as in an agony, strive as for a matter of life and death; so Cornelius a Lapide. Though we must be men of peace, yet in matters of religion we must be men of strife; it is a holy strife, a blessed contention. Indeed the apostle says, let nothing be done through strife; but though strife does not do well among Christians, yet it does well in a Christian — he must strive with his own heart, or he will never get to heaven.

Sometimes our work for heaven is compared to wrestling (Ephesians 6:12): we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. Our life is a continual wrestling; as Jacob wrestled with the angel, so we must wrestle with our corruptions; we must not lay our sins in our bosom, but set our feet upon their necks. If we foil our sins and get them down, it is not baseness or cowardice to strike them when they are down. And we must wrestle with Satan; wrestlers get one within another; Satan labors to get within us and give us a fall, as he did our first parents. What the devil would have done to Christ — thrown him from the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4) — that he did to our first parents; he threw them down from the pinnacle of happiness. Therefore we must wrestle with him; resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

Sometimes the life of a Christian is compared to fighting (1 Timothy 6:12): fight the good fight of faith. Christ is the Captain of the saints' forces; he is called the Captain of their salvation (Hebrews 2:10). We must all be military persons; faith is our shield, hope is our helmet, the word of God our sword. We come into the world as into a field-battle; lusts war against us (1 Peter 2:11), and good reason therefore that we should war against them. It is a day of battle, and it is dangerous going abroad without our armor.

Sometimes a Christian's work for heaven is compared to the running of a race; so in the text: know you not that they who run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain. In which words the apostle seems to allude (as learned writers observe) either to the Olympian games, which were kept every fifth year in honor of Jupiter, or to the Isthmian games celebrated near Corinth in honor of Neptune, in which games they put forth all their strength to win the prize. So says the apostle, run the race of Christianity which is set before you with a winged swiftness, that you may obtain the prize of salvation.

The words fall into two general parts.

The race to be run: so run.

The end of running: that you may obtain.

The observations out of the text are these two.

Christianity is a race.

Wise Christians should labor so to run as to win the prize: so run, that you may obtain.

Doctrine: the first doctrine is that Christianity is a race; or the life of a Christian is a race (Hebrews 12:1): let us run with patience the race that is set before us. We must be wayfarers before we are those who have arrived; heaven is a place of rest (Hebrews 4:9): there remains a rest for the people of God. No more wrestling there, for then we have overcome the enemy; the saints in glory are set forth with palms in their hands (Revelation 7:9) in token of victory. No more running there; for the prize being obtained, the saints have thrones to sit and rest themselves upon (Revelation 3:21). But this life is a race, and it must be run, and so run.

For the illustration of the doctrine there are three things to be opened.

1. Wherein a Christian's life is compared to a race. 2. Wherein the Christian race differs from other races. 3. Why this race must be run.

Wherein a Christian's life is compared to a race: that appears in four particulars.

In a race there is the way or path to run in; so in Christianity there is the pathway in which we must run (Psalm 119:32): I will run the way of your commandments. This is a good old way (Jeremiah 6:16); it is as good as it is old. The way of sanctification and obedience is the way the saints have gone in, and the way in which God has been found; this way we are to run in.

This pathway is a pleasant way; it is sweetened with comfort (Proverbs 3:17): all her ways are pleasantness (Romans 15:13): joy in believing. The way of religion is strewn with roses; oh the bunches of grapes that God cuts down, the flagons of wine that he gives to those that turn their feet into this way!

The way of God's commandments is a clean way; it is a way paved with holiness (Isaiah 35:6). Christians may run in this way and never wet the sole of their feet; the way of sin is defiling. Such as use themselves to this way, the filth of hell sticks upon them; in the ways of sin there are such deep sloughs that men sink into perdition. But the way of the Christian race is clean; such as run this race cleanse themselves from all pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1).

A race is laborious; the running of a race is a violent exercise — men put forth all the strength of their bodies in running. Thus Christianity is a race for labor; we must put forth all our strength in this race. My soul follows hard after God (Psalm 63:8); I reach forward (Philippians 2:13-14) — the word signifies I stretch my neck forward. The apostle says: I press toward the mark; as runners in a race gather up their feet with all swiftness and stretch themselves forward to lay hold on the prize. It is not an idle wish or a dead prayer that will win the garland; but a Christian must put forward with all speed and vigor of affection, that he may obtain what he runs for.

A race is short — breve curriculum, as Horace calls it; the Greek word for a race signifies a short stage of ground; the Olympian race contained six hundred feet, one hundred twenty paces long as authors report. A race is but a short space of ground, it is soon run; thus our time being short, our race cannot be long. And this may encourage us in the race of religion and keep us from being out of breath; remember it is but a short race. After you have suffered awhile (1 Peter 5:10) — so I may say: after you have run awhile, you will be at the end of the stage. It is but awhile, Christians, and you shall have done wrestling, weeping, praying, and you shall reap the fruit of all your prayers; it is but awhile, and you shall have done suffering, and be among the spirits of just men made perfect. It is but awhile, and you shall be at the end of your race — receiving the end of your faith (1 Peter 1:9). How should a child of God rejoice to think he has got over a good part of his race and is almost at the end — as Doctor Taylor the martyr once said: I have but two stiles to go over, and then I shall be at my Father's house. You that have set out early for heaven and are now in your old age, comfort yourselves with this: you have but a few steps more to take, and then you are at the end of your race.

In a race there is a crown or garland given to him that gets the better; so in religion, those that win the race shall wear the crown (2 Timothy 4:8). Such as do not run through sloth, or will not run through pride, miss of the reward; but such as run the heavenly race faithfully shall have a crown. And this reward is fitly resembled to a crown for the splendor of it; a crown hung full of jewels is bright and splendid, it gives an orient luster. Neither can pen describe, nor pencil delineate, nor tongue of angel express the glory and magnificence of this crown; nor can it be shadowed out by all the beauties of heaven, though every star were a sun.

The second thing to be illustrated is wherein the Christian race differs from other races.

In other races one only is crowned; so in the text: but one receives the prize. But in the spiritual race many win the prize; the saints shall come to heaven from all the quarters of the world, east and west (Matthew 8:11): many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. In Revelation 7:4, there were sealed a hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel; and after this a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. By this multitude not numerable are to be understood those that belong to the election and are saved; these as victors are crowned and stand with palms in their hands. Should but one receive the prize, there might be room left for despair.

In other races some stand still and look on, and usually there are but two who run; but here in the heavenly race all must run. Those who are unfit to run other races must run this one — as the lame and the blind; none are excused from this race. All have run from God by sin, and all must run to him by repentance; either run or be damned — either fly to heaven or fall to hell.

In other races the feet run; but in the Christian race the heart runs (Psalm 119:32): I will run when you shall enlarge my heart. In religion the heart is all; that which the heart does not do is not done. It is not the lifting up of the eye or hand toward heaven that forwards the race — it is the outgoing of the heart. Many a man's tongue runs in religion, but not his heart. Do you believe with your heart (Romans 10:9)? Do you love God with your heart (Matthew 22:37)? This is to run the race of religion; this clears the ground and brings a Christian apace to the goal. When David's heart was enlarged, then he would run.

In other races he only gets the prize who runs fastest; but it is not so in this heavenly race. Though others may outrun us, yet if we hold on to the end of the race we shall receive the reward. Some saints are like Asahel, light of foot as a roe (2 Samuel 2:18); they run swifter in the race of obedience, as Ahimaaz outran Cushi (2 Samuel 18:23). But this is the comfort of weak believers: though they cannot run so fast as others, yet if they hold on to the end of the race without tiring, they are crowned. He that came in at the eleventh hour had his pay as well as he that came in at the first hour (Matthew 20:9), to show that those who set out later and may be outrun by other Christians, yet persevering, are saved.

In other races men run for a temporal reward; in the Christian race we run for an eternal one. Others run for a corruptible crown (1 Corinthians 9:25); sometimes the crown bestowed upon the victor was made of olive, sometimes of myrtle; the Egyptians had a crown of cinnamon enclosed in gold, but still it was corruptible. But the crown the saints run for is incorruptible — it is a never-fading crown (1 Peter 5:4). Other crowns are like a garland of flowers that soon withers (Proverbs 27:4); but this crown given to the conquering Christian is unfading — the jewels of this crown are never lost, the flowers of it never fade.

In other races the garland is bestowed in a way of merit; but in the Christian race it is bestowed as a legacy of free grace. Though we shall not obtain the prize unless we run, yet it is not because we run; how can we merit the recompense of reward? Before we merit we must satisfy, but we have nothing to satisfy. Besides, what proportion is there between the race and the recompense? Therefore the crown bestowed is called a gratuitous gift (Romans 6:23): the gift of God is eternal life. God will so bestow his rewards that he himself may be no loser; though the saints have the comfort of their crown, God will have the glory.

In other races many times one hinders another; but in the race to heaven one Christian helps another (1 Thessalonians 5:11): edify one another, even as also you do. One Christian helps by his prayer, advice, and example to confirm another. What is the communion of saints but one Christian putting forward another in the heavenly race?

One may lose other races and not be miserable; but he cannot lose this race in religion but he must be so. In other races a man does but lose his wager; but if he falls short of this spiritual race, he loses his soul. How seasonable therefore is that apostolic caution (Hebrews 4:1): let us fear, lest we should come short.

The third thing to be insisted on is why we must run this race of Christianity.

There are three reasons. First, because God has set us this race (Hebrews 12:1): let us run the race that is set before us. It is not arbitrary — it is not left to our choice whether we will run or no; God has set us the race. God's commands carry power and sovereignty in them; if a general bids his army march, they must march. There is no disputing duty at the word of God; the heavens drop down their dew, the stars set themselves in battle array, the earth brings forth a crop, the sea is bridled in and dare not go a step farther. If inanimate creatures obey the word of command, much more those who are endued with reason; when God says, run the race, we must run.

There is no other way to get to heaven but by running the race; by nature we are far distant from the goal, and if we would have heaven we must run for it. A man can no more get to heaven who does not run this race than one can get to his journey's end who never sets a step in the way. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom (2 Peter 1:10).

Our time allotted to us is short; Job compares our life to a swift post (Job 9:25): my days are swifter than a post. The poets painted Time with wings; if time flies, we had need run. The night of death hastens, and there is no running a race in the night.

Use 1. This shows us that the business of religion is no idle thing; we must put forth all our strength and vigor. Religion is a race; we must run, and so run; it is a hard thing to be a Christian. Alas then, what shall we say to them that stand all the day idle? Come to many, and one would think they had no race to run; they put their hand in their bosom (Proverbs 19:24). Is that a fit posture for him that is to run a race? They stretch themselves upon their couches (Amos 6:4) — they had rather lie soft than run hard. Many would have heaven come to them, but they are loath to run to it; if salvation would drop as a ripe fig into the mouth of the eater (Nahum 3:12), men could like it well, but they are loath to set upon running a race. But never think to be saved upon such easy terms; the life of a Christian is not like a nobleman's life. The nobleman has his rents brought in by his steward whether he wakes or sleeps; but think not that salvation will be brought to you when you are stretching yourself on your beds of ivory. If you would have the prize, run the race. The passenger in the ship, whether he sits in the cabin or lies on the couch, is brought safe to shore; but there is no getting to the heavenly port without rowing hard. Zacchaeus ran before to see Jesus (Luke 19:4); if we would have a sight of God in glory, we must run this race — we cannot have the world without labor, and would we have heaven?

If the life of Christianity be a race, this may justify the godly in the haste which they make to heaven (Psalm 119:60): I made haste and delayed not to keep your commandments. Carnal spirits say: what need you make such haste? Why are you so strict and precise? Why do you run so fast? Oh, but may a Christian reply: religion is a race; I cannot run too fast, nor hardly fast enough. If any had asked Saint Paul why he ran so fast and pressed forward to the mark, he would have answered that he was in a race. Here is that which may justify the saints of God in their zeal and activity for heaven; they are racers, and a race cannot be run too fast. The blind world is ready to judge all zeal madness; but have we not cause to put on with all speed when it is a matter of life and death? If we do not run, and so run, we shall never obtain the prize; if a man were to run for a wager of three or four millions, would he not run with all celerity and swiftness? The king's business requires haste (1 Samuel 21:8); if any should say to us, where are you going so fast? why so much praying and weeping? we may say as David: the king's business requires haste. God has set me a race to run, and I must not linger or loiter. The haste Abigail made to the king (1 Samuel 25:34) prevented her death and the massacre of Nabal's family; our haste in the heavenly race will prevent damnation. This may plead for a Christian in his eager pursuit after holiness, against all the calumnies and censures of the wicked.

Use 2. It reproves those who run a contrary race — not the race God has set them, but the race the devil has set them, the race of iniquity. They sacrifice their lives to Bacchus; they make haste, but not to heaven. They make haste to fulfill their lusts (Proverbs 6:18); they make haste to swear, to be drunk; they are swift to shed blood (Isaiah 59:7): their feet run to evil. The sinner, in regard of the haste he makes in sin, is compared to a swift dromedary (Jeremiah 2:23). A wicked man's swiftness in sin is like Absalom's riding on his mule (2 Samuel 18:9): the mule went under the thick boughs of an oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between heaven and earth. Sinners make haste to sin as a bird hastens to the snare; they run as the swine possessed with the demons ran into the sea and were drowned (Mark 5:13). Oh what haste men make to hell, as if they feared the gates would be shut before they could get there! What need is there for this speed? Why do they run so fast to prison? The sins men commit in haste, they will repent of at leisure; Achan made haste to the wedge of gold, but now he has time enough to repent of it. Sin is an unhappy race, a damnable race; will it not be bitterness in the end (2 Samuel 2:26)? When men come to the end of that race, instead of a crown, behold chains of darkness (Jude 6).

It reproves those who, instead of running the race of God's commandments, spend all their time in jollity and mirth, as if their life were more a dance than a race. Job 21:12-13: They take the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the organ; they spend their days in mirth. They are at their music when they should be at their race. Amos 6:4: They chant to the sound of the viol, they drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments. It is hard to have two heavens. Some are all for pleasure; they are like those hunting dogs that, while running among the sweet flowers, stop to smell the flowers and lose the scent of the hare and give up the chase. So while many are among the sweet flowers — the delights and pleasures of the world — they fall to smelling these flowers and leave off their race. Under the sweet honey lurk poisons. These go merrily to hell; I may say as Solomon (Proverbs 14:13): the end of that mirth is heaviness.

If religion is a race, it reproves those who are slow-paced in religion — who creep but do not run. Their motion is like the motion of the eighth sphere — slow and dull. They should be like the sun in the firmament, which is swift, when they are like the shadow on the sundial, which moves very slowly. Many Christians move so heavily in the ways of God that it is hard for onlookers to tell whether they are making any progress at all. They are hasty in their passions but slow of heart to believe (Luke 24:25). What haste did Israel make in their march when Pharaoh was pursuing them! What need have Christians to expedite their race when the devil is behind pursuing, ready to overtake them and make them lose the prize! We read in the law that God would not have the donkey offered in sacrifice; he hates a dull temper of soul. The snail was accounted unclean (Leviticus 11:30); the slow-paced Christian will be caught in default at last and miss the prize.

It reproves those who begin the race of Christianity but do not persevere to the end of the race — they faint by the way. Galatians 5:7: You did run well; who hindered you that you should not obey the truth? The crown is set upon the head of perseverance; he who runs half the way and then faints loses the garland. It is sad for a man to come near to heaven and then tire in the race — as sad as to see a ship cast away in sight of the shore.

What shall we say to those who do worse than tire in the race — they run backward into the way of profaneness, as Julian, Gardner, and others? There is no going to heaven backward. Such do cast reproaches upon the ways of God. Better never to begin the race than to run back. 2 Peter 2:21: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment. A soldier that deserts his colors and enlists in the enemy's regiment, if taken, must expect martial law. Hebrews 10:38: If any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. God will bear with infirmity, but he will punish treachery; wrath shall smoke against the apostate. Indeed in war there is a retreating sometimes which, if done skillfully, to the enemy's disadvantage, is called an honorable retreat. But in the race to heaven there must be no retreats — these are not honorable retreats, but damnable retreats. Whoever draws back, it is to perdition (Hebrews 10, last verse).

Let all Christians be exhorted to run this heavenly and blessed race of religion. What arguments shall I use to persuade? Look upon other creatures winged with activity, and then, Christian, shame yourself. Look into the firmament and see the sun as a giant running his race (Psalm 19:5) — and do you stand still? Look into the air; see the birds soaring aloft and mounting toward heaven. Look into the earth; see the bees working in the hive. Look upon the angels — they are swift in obedience. Look upon other Christians near you; you shall find them in their race, reading, praying, weeping — and have you nothing to do? Look upon your precious time: time runs, and do you stand still? Look upon the wicked: how quick are they in sin? And shall they run faster to hell than you run to heaven? Look upon yourself: how industrious you are for the world — rising early, compassing sea and land! And yet how stupid and heartless in the matters of salvation? Will you run for a feather, a bubble, and not run for a kingdom?

To quicken your pace in godliness, consider what the prize is we run for — it is a crown of glory. This encircles all blessedness within it; there will soon be an end of our race, but there will be no end of our crown. This blessed reward should quicken us in the race; but how shall we run the race so as to obtain? It is sad to run in vain (Philippians 2:16); this brings us to the next use.

Use 4. I shall prescribe some directions about this heavenly race.

Take heed of those things which will hinder you in your race. First, shake off sloth — idleness is the devil's pillow; the sluggish Christian will never win the race; he is sleeping when he should be running. Sloth is the rust of the soul; it is the disease of the soul — a sick man cannot run a race. The slothful man roasts not that which he took in hunting (Proverbs 12:27); he will rather fast than hunt for venison. Shake off sloth; abandon this idle devil if you intend to run a race.

Throw off all weights; there are two sorts of weights we must throw off.

The weight of sin (Hebrews 12:1): let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and let us run the race. The prophet David felt this weight (Psalm 38:4): my iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burden; they are too heavy for me. If we do not throw off this weight by repentance, it will sink us into hell; a man cannot run a race with a burden upon his back. An unclean person cannot run the race of holiness; a proud man cannot run the race of humility; a self-willed man cannot run the race of obedience. O Christian, unburden your soul of sin — throw off this weight if you intend to lay hold on the crown.

The second weight the spiritual racer must throw off is the world; this is a golden weight which has hindered many and made them lose their race. So far as the world is a weight, throw it off; I say not lay aside the use of the world, but the love of it (1 John 2:15). When the golden dust of the world is blown in men's eyes, it blinds them so that they cannot see their race.

Discard false opinions about this race.

That the race is easy; many a man thinks he can run the race from earth to heaven on his deathbed. O sinner, you who say the race is easy are a stranger to the Christian race. You are dead in sin until a supernatural principle of grace is infused (Ephesians 2:1); is it easy for a dead man to run a race? To run the way of God's commandments is against nature; and is it easy for a man to act contrary to himself? Is it easy for the water to run backward in its own channel? Is it easy for a man to deny himself, to crucify the flesh, to behead his beloved sin? Oh take heed of this mistake, that the Christian race is easy. Do you know what religion must cost you, and what religion may cost you?

The second false opinion we must beware of is that the race to heaven is impossible — that there is so much work to do that surely we shall never win the race. Cyprian confesses of himself that before his conversion he had many thoughts tending to despair; he imagined that he should never get the mastery of some of his corruptions. The thoughts of impossibility cut the sinews of all endeavor. God has encouraged us to run not only by promising rewards when we win, but by promising strength to enable us to run; has he not said he will put his Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36)? And then, inspired by the Spirit, we can run and not be weary. How many has Satan disheartened through despair? Surely, says the diffident soul, I may run, but I shall never so run as to obtain. Jeremiah 2:25: there is no hope. So says the despairer: I had as good go on in my sins, keep the old road; there is no hope, all succors of mercy are cut off. This is a dangerous precipice; despair takes a man off his legs, and then how can he run? Despair is the great devourer of souls; he that is under the power of this sin disputes himself into hell.

Take heed that company does not stay you by the way; if a man should be running a race and have a friend come and take him by the hand as he is running and desire to speak with him, this might make him lose the race. So stands the case here — many will be ready to meet with us and stop us in our race to heaven. They will say: what need you set out so soon? What need you run so fast? Stay and bathe yourselves a while in the luscious delights of the world. Thus have many been stopped in the middle of their race and lost the prize. To him that would hinder us in our race we must say with a holy indignation, as Christ: get behind me, Satan (Matthew 4:10).

You must use all means to help you in the heavenly race.

Run the right race; the apostle calls it the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1) — that is, the race chalked out in the word of God, the race of self-denial and sanctity. It is not any race, but the race set before us, that we must run; which confutes the opinion that a man must be saved in any religion.

Fit yourselves for the heavenly race.

Diet yourselves; the racers in ancient times, says Irenaeus, did diet themselves — they would not eat of any gross meat nor yet a full meal, that they might be the more prepared for the race. Thus must Christians diet themselves by sobriety and mortification, that they may by a well-ordering of themselves be the fitter to run the race which is set before them. Saint Paul did beat down his body (1 Corinthians 9:27) that he might be the fitter for his race.

Strip yourselves for the race; the runner in a race uses to strip himself of all about him and wear only a white garment, that he might be light and nimble. So should Christians do — strip themselves of all conceits of merit, and only wear the white garment of Christ's righteousness.

Begin the race betimes (Ecclesiastes 12:1): remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Young ones think they may set upon the race too soon; can a man be good too soon? Can he run the race of repentance too soon? But suppose he might — yet it is better to repent a year too soon than an hour too late. Esau's tears as well as his venison came too late (Genesis 27:33-34). David would seek after God early (Psalm 36:1); Augustine in his confessions complains of himself that he knew God no sooner. They will hardly be able to run the heavenly race who have old age and old sins upon them.

Run the pathway, not the road-way; hell-road is full of travellers; most go wrong (Exodus 23:2): you shall not follow a multitude to do evil. The multitude does not consider what is best, but what is safest. Our Savior has told us: narrow is the way which leads to life (Matthew 7:14). Run in the narrow way of self-denial and mortification.

Resolve to hold on in the race notwithstanding dangers and difficulties; a good Christian must be steeled with courage and fired with zeal. It is probable there will be thorns in the way of our race, and flint-stones — therefore we had need be well shod.

We must be shod with the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15); he whose heart is filled with that peace the gospel brings will be able to run over the hardest piece of religion with ease.

We must be shod with patience (Hebrews 12:1): let us run with patience the race. Patience bears up the heart of a Christian and keeps him from tiring in the race; if this shoe be off, we shall soon halt and give over running.

Christians in their race must keep their eye still upon the mark; the Greeks had their white line drawn at the end of their race, and the racer's eye was still upon it. The looking upon the prize quickens Christians in their race. Saint Paul looked toward the mark (Philippians 3:14) as archers look at the white, racers at the prize. And Moses (Hebrews 11:26) looked to the recompense of reward; he looked with one eye at God's glory and with the other eye at the garland or prize.

Run with delight (Psalm 119:47): I will delight myself in your commandments. Oil supples the joints and makes them agile and nimble; the oil of gladness makes Christians lively and fit to run the heavenly race. The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Run in the strength of Christ; do not think you can of yourselves win the race. The Arminians talk of free-will, but it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs (Romans 9:16). By nature we are blind and lame, therefore unfit to run a race; we run fastest when Christ takes us by the hand.

If you would run so as to obtain, be often in the exercise of grace; it is not enough to have grace in the habit — you must have it in the exercise. Such as run the heavenly race must not only be living but lively; they must have a flourishing faith and a flaming love. What is the meaning of loins girt and lamps burning (Luke 12:35) but grace in its activity? Without this there can be no speed in the heavenly race.

If you would run hard, pray hard; prayer helps us on in the race. Luther was a man of prayer. Pray over that prayer (Song of Solomon 1:4): draw me, we will run after you.

Pray that you may not mistake your way through error, nor stumble in it through offences. In a word, let us pray for the Holy Spirit, which does animate us in the race and carry us above our own strength. God's Spirit breathed in keeps us in breath.

1 Corinthians 9:24 — "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win."

Religion is a matter of the highest importance. The soul — the nobler, more divine part of us — is what is at stake. How we live now determines whether we will be forever happy or forever lost. Solomon's advice is perfectly suited to this: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work or thought or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:10). The work of religion demands our fullest zeal and effort (Matthew 11:12).

Sometimes the work we must do to reach heaven is described as striving (Luke 13:24): "Strive to enter through the narrow door" — strive as in agony, strive as though your life depended on it. So says Cornelius a Lapide. Though we should be people of peace toward others, in the spiritual life we must be people of intense striving — a holy striving, a blessed contention. The apostle says let nothing be done through selfish ambition or rivalry. But though rivalry has no place among Christians, striving certainly has a place within a Christian — he must strive against his own heart, or he will never reach heaven.

Sometimes the work of reaching heaven is compared to wrestling (Ephesians 6:12): "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers." Our life is a constant wrestling match. As Jacob wrestled with the angel, so we must wrestle with our sinful desires. We should not cradle our sins, but put our feet on their necks. If we knock our sins down, it is not dishonorable to keep striking while they are down. We must also wrestle with Satan. Wrestlers try to get a grip on each other. Satan works to get a grip on us and throw us down — as he did our first parents. What the devil tried to do to Christ — throw Him from the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4) — he did to our first parents. He threw them from the pinnacle of happiness. Therefore we must wrestle with him. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

Sometimes the Christian life is compared to fighting (1 Timothy 6:12): "Fight the good fight of faith." Christ is the captain of the saints' forces. He is called "the author of their salvation" (Hebrews 2:10). We must all be soldiers. Faith is our shield, hope is our helmet, and the Word of God is our sword. We come into the world as onto a battlefield. Our sinful desires wage war against us (1 Peter 2:11) — so we have every reason to wage war against them. It is a day of battle, and it is dangerous to go out without our armor.

And sometimes the Christian's work toward heaven is compared to running a race — as in the text: "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." In these words the apostle seems to allude — as many scholars observe — either to the Olympic games, held every five years in honor of Jupiter, or to the Isthmian games celebrated near Corinth in honor of Neptune. In those games, competitors gave everything they had to win the prize. So the apostle is saying: run the race of Christian living that is set before you with all possible speed and urgency, so that you may win the prize of salvation.

The text falls into two main parts.

The race to be run: "run in such a way."

The purpose of running: "that you may win."

Two observations arise from the text.

Christianity is a race.

Wise Christians should run in such a way as to win the prize: "run in such a way that you may win."

Doctrine: The first teaching is that Christianity is a race — or, the life of a Christian is a race (Hebrews 12:1): "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." We must be travelers before we can be those who have arrived. Heaven is a place of rest (Hebrews 4:9): "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." There will be no more wrestling there, for we will have overcome the enemy. The saints in glory are pictured holding palm branches (Revelation 7:9) as a sign of victory. There will be no more running there. The prize having been won, the saints have thrones to sit and rest upon (Revelation 3:21). But this life is a race, and it must be run — and run well.

To explain this teaching, three questions need to be addressed.

1. In what ways is a Christian's life compared to a race? 2. In what ways does the Christian race differ from other races? 3. Why must this race be run?

In what ways is a Christian's life like a race? Four parallels stand out.

In a race there is a track to run in. In the same way, Christianity has a pathway (Psalm 119:32): "I shall run the way of Your commandments." This is a good and ancient way (Jeremiah 6:16) — as good as it is old. The way of holiness and obedience is the road the saints have always traveled, and the road on which God has been found. This is the track we must run.

This pathway is a pleasant one, sweetened with joy (Proverbs 3:17): "Her ways are pleasant ways" (Romans 15:13): "joy in believing." The way of religion is strewn with roses. What abundant fruit God provides, what refreshment He gives to those who turn their feet into this way!

The way of God's commandments is a clean way — a way paved with holiness (Isaiah 35:6). Christians can run this track without getting dirty. The way of sin, by contrast, defiles everyone on it. Those who habitually walk the paths of sin are covered in the filth of it. The roads of sin have such deep mud that people sink into destruction. But the Christian race is clean. Those who run it cleanse themselves from every impurity of body and spirit, growing in holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1).

A race demands hard work. Running a race is intense physical effort — runners put all their bodily strength into it. In the same way, Christianity is a race that requires effort. We must put all our strength into it. "My soul clings to You" (Psalm 63:8). "I press on" (Philippians 3:13-14) — the word means I stretch my neck forward. The apostle says: "I press toward the goal." Runners in a race gather themselves together with full speed and stretch forward to seize the prize. A lazy wish or a halfhearted prayer will not win the crown. A Christian must press forward with full energy and whole-hearted devotion in order to win what he is running for.

A race is short — "breve curriculum," as Horace calls it. The Greek word for a race refers to a short stretch of ground. The Olympian race, as authors report, was six hundred feet — one hundred twenty paces long. A race covers only a small distance and is quickly run. Since our time here is short, our race cannot be long. This should encourage us as we run and keep us from losing heart. Remember — it is only a short race. "After you have suffered for a little while" (1 Peter 5:10) — I might say the same: after you have run for a little while, you will be at the finish line. It is only a little while, Christians, and you will be done wrestling, weeping, and praying — and then you will reap the fruit of all your prayers. It is only a little while before you are done suffering and standing among the spirits of the righteous made perfect. It is only a little while before you reach the end of your race — "obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:9). How a child of God should rejoice to know he has covered much of the course and is nearing the finish! As Dr. Taylor the martyr once said: I have only two more stiles to cross, and then I will be at my Father's house. You who set out early for heaven and are now in old age, take comfort in this: you have only a few more steps to take, and then you are at the end of your race.

In a race there is a crown or wreath given to the winner. In the same way, those who finish the Christian race will wear a crown (2 Timothy 4:8). Those who fail to run — through laziness or pride — miss the reward. But those who faithfully run the heavenly race will receive a crown. This reward is fittingly compared to a crown because of its splendor. A crown set with jewels shines brilliantly and radiates light. No pen can describe it, no painter can picture it, no angel's tongue can express the glory and magnificence of this crown. All the beauties of heaven together — even if every star were a sun — could not fully capture it.

The second point to explain is how the Christian race differs from other races.

In other races, only one person wins the prize — as the text says: "only one receives the prize." But in the spiritual race, many win the prize. The saints will come to heaven from every corner of the world, east and west (Matthew 8:11): "Many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." In Revelation 7:4, there were 144,000 sealed from all the tribes of Israel. Then beyond that, a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, stood before the throne in white robes with palm branches in their hands. This innumerable multitude represents all who belong to God's election and are saved. They stand as conquerors, crowned, holding palms in their hands. If only one person could win the prize, there would be room for despair.

In other races, some stand on the sidelines and watch, and usually only two competitors run. But in the heavenly race, everyone must run. Even those who would be disqualified from any other race must run this one — the lame and the blind included. No one is excused. All have run away from God through sin, and all must run back to Him through repentance. Either run or be damned — either fly toward heaven or fall toward hell.

In other races the feet do the running. But in the Christian race the heart runs (Psalm 119:32): "I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart." In religion, the heart is everything. What the heart does not do is simply not done. It is not raising your eyes or lifting your hands toward heaven that moves you forward in this race — it is the outward movement of the heart. Many people's tongues run in religion, but not their hearts. Do you believe with your heart (Romans 10:9)? Do you love God with all your heart (Matthew 22:37)? This is what it means to run the race of religion. This clears the ground and carries a Christian swiftly toward the goal. When David's heart was enlarged, he ran.

In other races, only the fastest runner wins the prize. But it is not so in the heavenly race. Even if others outrun us, if we hold on to the end we will still receive the reward. Some saints are like Asahel — swift as a gazelle (2 Samuel 2:18). They run fast in the race of obedience, as Ahimaaz outran Cushi (2 Samuel 18:23). But here is the comfort for weaker believers: even if you cannot run as fast as others, if you persevere to the end without giving up, you receive the crown. The worker who came in at the eleventh hour received the same pay as those who came at the first hour (Matthew 20:9). This shows that those who start later and may be outpaced by other Christians are still saved if they persevere.

In other races, men run for a temporary reward. In the Christian race, we run for an eternal one. Others run for a perishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:25). Sometimes the victor's wreath was made of olive, sometimes of myrtle. The Egyptians had a crown of cinnamon wrapped in gold — but it was still perishable. But the crown the saints run for is imperishable — "an unfading crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:4). Other crowns are like garlands of flowers that soon wither (Proverbs 27:4). But the crown given to the conquering Christian never fades. The jewels of this crown are never lost, and the flowers never wilt.

In other races the prize is awarded based on merit. In the Christian race it is given as a gift of pure grace. Though we will not receive the prize unless we run, the prize is not ours because we ran. How could we ever earn such a reward? To earn something, we must first pay what we owe — and we have nothing to offer. Besides, what possible proportion could there be between a few years of running and an eternity of glory? For this reason the crown given to us is called a free gift (Romans 6:23): "the gift of God is eternal life." God gives His rewards in a way that brings Him glory. The saints will enjoy the comfort of their crown, and God will receive all the glory.

In other races, competitors often get in each other's way. But in the race to heaven, Christians help each other forward (1 Thessalonians 5:11): "Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." One Christian helps another through prayer, counsel, and example. What is the fellowship of the saints, if not Christians pushing one another forward in the heavenly race?

You can lose other races and still be fine. But you cannot lose this race without being ruined. In other races a man simply loses his wager. But if he falls short in this spiritual race, he loses his soul. How fitting, then, is this apostolic warning (Hebrews 4:1): "Let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it."

The third point to address is why we must run this Christian race.

There are three reasons. First, because God has set this race before us (Hebrews 12:1): "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." It is not optional — whether to run is not left to our choice. God has assigned us this race. God's commands carry authority and power. When a general orders his army to march, they must march. There is no debating duty when God has spoken. The heavens send down their dew, the stars take their positions in battle formation, the earth produces its crops, the sea holds itself within its boundaries and does not dare go one step further. If lifeless creation obeys God's commands, how much more should those who are given reason? When God says to run the race, we must run.

There is no way to reach heaven except by running this race. By nature we are far from the goal, and if we want heaven we must run for it. A person who does not run this race cannot reach heaven any more than a traveler who never takes a single step on the road can reach his destination. "Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you" (2 Peter 1:10-11).

The time given to us is short. Job compares our life to a swift courier (Job 9:25): "My days are swifter than a runner." The ancient poets painted Time with wings. If time flies, we had better run. The night of death is coming quickly — and there is no running a race in the dark.

Application 1. This shows us that the business of religion is no idle matter. We must put all our strength and energy into it. Religion is a race. We must run — and run well. Being a Christian is demanding work. What shall we say, then, about those who stand idle all day? Come to many people, and you would think they had no race to run. They put their hands in their pockets (Proverbs 19:24). Is that a posture suitable for someone who must run a race? They stretch themselves out on their couches (Amos 6:4) — they would rather lie comfortably than run hard. Many people would like heaven to come to them, but they are unwilling to run toward it. If salvation would drop like a ripe fig straight into their mouths (Nahum 3:12), they would be quite happy — but they are not willing to run a race. Do not imagine you can be saved on such easy terms. The life of a Christian is not like the life of a nobleman. A nobleman has his rents brought to him by his manager whether he is awake or asleep. But do not think salvation will be delivered to you while you are stretching out on your comfortable beds. If you want the prize, run the race. A passenger on a ship may sit in the cabin or lie on the couch and still arrive safely at shore — but there is no reaching the heavenly port without rowing hard. Zacchaeus ran ahead to see Jesus (Luke 19:4). If we want to see God in His glory, we must run this race. We cannot have worldly things without effort — and do we think we can have heaven without it?

If the Christian life is a race, this justifies the urgency with which godly people press toward heaven (Psalm 119:60): "I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments." People of the world say: Why are you in such a hurry? Why are you so strict? Why do you run so fast? But a Christian may answer: religion is a race. I cannot run too fast — I can barely run fast enough. If anyone had asked Paul why he ran so hard and pressed forward to the goal, he would have answered that he was in a race. This explains and defends the saints' zeal and energy in pursuing heaven. They are racers — and a race cannot be run too fast. The world is quick to call all zeal madness. But do we not have every reason to press forward with all speed when this is a matter of life and death? If we do not run — and run well — we will never win the prize. If a man were running for a prize worth millions, would he not run with every ounce of speed he had? "The king's business requires haste" (1 Samuel 21:8). If anyone asks us: where are you going so fast? Why so much praying and weeping? We can say what David said: the king's business requires haste. God has set me a race to run, and I must not dawdle or lag behind. The haste Abigail made to go to King David (1 Samuel 25:34) prevented her death and the slaughter of Nabal's household. Our haste in the heavenly race will prevent damnation. This truth defends a Christian's urgent pursuit of holiness against all the mockery and criticism of the ungodly.

Application 2. This rebukes those who are running in the opposite direction — not the race God has set before them, but the race the devil has set: the race of wickedness. They dedicate their lives to drinking and pleasure. They make haste, but not toward heaven. They rush to satisfy their desires (Proverbs 6:18). They hurry to swear and get drunk. They are quick to shed blood (Isaiah 59:7): "Their feet run to evil." The sinner, in the speed with which he rushes into sin, is compared to a swift camel (Jeremiah 2:23). A wicked person's race into sin is like Absalom's ride on his mule (2 Samuel 18:9): the mule carried him under the thick branches of an oak tree, his head got caught in the oak, and he was left suspended between heaven and earth. Sinners rush toward sin the way a bird rushes into a trap. They run like the demon-possessed pigs that charged into the sea and drowned (Mark 5:13). How fast people race toward hell — as if they feared the gates would be shut before they arrived! What is the urgency? Why run so fast toward a prison? The sins committed in haste will be repented of at great length. Achan rushed for the wedge of gold — and now he has more than enough time to regret it. Sin is an unhappy race — a ruinous race. Will it not end in bitterness (2 Samuel 2:26)? When men reach the end of that race, instead of a crown, they find chains of darkness (Jude 6).

This also rebukes those who, instead of running God's race, spend all their time in entertainment and pleasure — as though their life were a dance rather than a race. Job 21:12-13: "They sing to the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the flute. They spend their days in prosperity." They are at their music when they should be in the race. Amos 6:4: "They improvise to the sound of the harp, and like David have composed songs for themselves. They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils." It is hard to have two heavens. Some people live only for pleasure. They are like hunting dogs that, while running through a field of flowers, stop to smell the blossoms and lose the scent of the hare — and abandon the hunt entirely. In the same way, many people find themselves among the sweet flowers of worldly pleasure, stop to enjoy them, and leave off the race. Poison hides beneath the sweet honey. These people go merrily to hell. As Solomon says (Proverbs 14:13): "Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy may be grief."

If religion is a race, this rebukes those who move sluggishly in it — who creep along rather than run. Their pace is like the slow turning of the outermost sphere — dull and heavy. They should be like the sun racing across the sky, but instead they move like the shadow on a sundial — almost imperceptibly slow. Many Christians move so heavily in the ways of God that an observer can barely tell whether they are making any progress at all. They are quick to anger but slow to believe (Luke 24:25). See how fast Israel moved when Pharaoh was pursuing them! How urgently Christians should press forward when the devil is behind them, pursuing, ready to overtake them and cause them to lose the prize! Under the law, God would not accept a donkey as a sacrifice — He hates a dull, sluggish spirit. The snail was counted unclean (Leviticus 11:30). The slow-paced Christian will eventually be found wanting and miss the prize.

This rebukes those who begin the Christian race but fail to persevere to the end — those who give up along the way. Galatians 5:7: "You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?" The crown belongs to perseverance. The runner who covers half the course and then collapses loses the prize. It is a sad thing for a person to come close to heaven and then collapse in the race — as sad as watching a ship sink in sight of shore.

What shall we say about those who do worse than collapse — who actually turn around and run back into ungodliness, as Julian, Gardner, and others did? There is no path to heaven that runs backward. Those who turn back throw shame on the ways of God. It is better never to start the race than to run in reverse. 2 Peter 2:21: "For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them." A soldier who abandons his flag and enlists in the enemy's army, if captured, should expect to face military law. Hebrews 10:38: "If he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him." God will bear with weakness, but He will punish betrayal. His wrath burns against the apostate. In warfare, there are times when a well-executed retreat — done skillfully to gain advantage over the enemy — is called an honorable retreat. But in the race to heaven, there must be no retreating. These are not honorable retreats — they are ruinous ones. "But if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him" — he draws back to destruction (Hebrews 10:38-39).

Let every Christian be urged to run this heavenly and blessed race. What arguments can I use to persuade you? Look at the rest of creation — everything moves with energy. Let their example put you to shame, Christian. Look up at the sky and see the sun like a mighty runner racing on his course (Psalm 19:5) — and will you stand still? Look into the air and see the birds soaring upward, climbing toward the sky. Look at the earth and see the bees busily working in the hive. Look at the angels — they are swift in obedience. Look at the Christians around you. You will see them in their race — reading, praying, weeping. And do you have nothing to do? Look at your precious time: time runs — will you stand still? Look at the wicked: how quickly they rush into sin. Will they run faster toward hell than you run toward heaven? Look at yourself: how industrious you are for the world — up early, crossing land and sea! Yet how dull and half-hearted in the matters of salvation. Will you run hard for a feather, a bubble, but not run for a kingdom?

To speed up your pace in godliness, consider what prize you are running for — a crown of glory. This crown contains all blessing within it. The race will soon be over, but the crown will have no end. This glorious reward should energize us in the race. But how should we run in order to win? It is a terrible thing to run and come away with nothing (Philippians 2:16). This brings us to the next application.

Application 4. Here are some directions for running this heavenly race well.

Watch out for the things that will slow you down in your race. First, shake off laziness. Idleness is the devil's pillow. A sluggish Christian will never win the race — he is sleeping when he should be running. Laziness is rust on the soul. It is a disease of the soul — and a sick person cannot run a race. The lazy man does not finish cooking what he caught while hunting (Proverbs 12:27). He would rather go hungry than make the effort to prepare his food. Shake off laziness. Abandon this idle spirit if you intend to run.

Throw off all weights. There are two kinds of weights to throw off.

The weight of sin (Hebrews 12:1): "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." David felt this weight (Psalm 38:4): "My iniquities have gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me." If we do not throw off this weight through repentance, it will drag us down to hell. A person cannot run a race with a heavy load on his back. An impure person cannot run the race of holiness. A proud person cannot run the race of humility. A self-willed person cannot run the race of obedience. Christian, unburden your soul of sin. Throw off this weight if you intend to seize the crown.

The second weight the spiritual runner must throw off is the world. This is a golden weight that has tripped up many and caused them to lose the race. To the extent that the world is a weight, throw it off. I am not saying to give up using the things of the world — I am saying to stop loving them as an end in themselves (1 John 2:15). When the golden dust of the world is blown into people's eyes, it blinds them so they cannot see the course they are meant to run.

Get rid of false ideas about this race.

The first false idea is that the race is easy. Many people think they can run the race from earth to heaven on their deathbed. Sinner, if you think this race is easy, you are a stranger to it. You are dead in sin until God infuses a supernatural principle of grace into you (Ephesians 2:1). Is it easy for a dead person to run a race? Running the way of God's commandments goes against our nature. Is it easy for a person to act against everything he naturally is? Is it easy for water to flow backward in its own channel? Is it easy for a person to deny himself, crucify his flesh, and cut off a beloved sin? Do not make the mistake of thinking the Christian race is easy. Do you know what the Christian life will cost you — and what it may cost you?

The second false idea to avoid is that the race to heaven is impossible — that there is so much to do that we could never possibly win. Cyprian confessed that before his conversion he had many thoughts bordering on despair. He imagined he would never overcome certain corruptions in his life. The thought that something is impossible cuts the tendons of all effort. God has encouraged us to run not only by promising rewards when we win, but by promising the strength to run. Has He not said He will put His Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36)? And inspired by the Spirit, we can run and not grow weary. How many people has Satan discouraged through despair? The doubting soul says: I may run, but I could never run well enough to win. Jeremiah 2:25: "There is no hope." The despairing person says: I might as well keep going in my sins and stay on the old road. There is no hope — every source of mercy has been cut off. This is a dangerous cliff. Despair knocks a person off his feet — and how can he run? Despair is the great destroyer of souls. The person under its power talks himself straight into hell.

Watch out for company that holds you back along the way. If a man is running a race and a friend grabs his hand and asks to have a conversation, that could cost him the race. This is exactly the danger here. Many people will be ready to intercept us and stop us on our way to heaven. They will say: why are you starting so soon? Why do you run so hard? Stop and enjoy the pleasures of the world for a while. Many have been stopped mid-race by such distractions and have lost the prize as a result. To anyone who tries to hinder us in the race, we must say with holy firmness, as Christ did: "Get behind Me, Satan" (Matthew 4:10).

You must use every available means to help you in the heavenly race.

Run the right race. The apostle calls it "the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1) — that is, the race marked out in God's Word, the race of self-denial and holy living. It is not just any race, but the specific race set before us, that we must run. This refutes the idea that a person can be saved by following any religion he chooses.

Prepare yourself for the heavenly race.

Watch your diet. Ancient runners, according to Irenaeus, carefully regulated what they ate — avoiding heavy foods and large meals so they would be better prepared to run. In the same way, Christians should discipline themselves through self-control and mortification of the flesh, so that by ordering their lives well they may be better fitted to run the race set before them. Paul disciplined his body (1 Corinthians 9:27) so that he would be more fit for his race.

Strip down for the race. A runner in a race removes everything extra and wears only a light white garment, so he can move freely. Christians should do the same — strip away all claims of personal merit, and wear only the white garment of Christ's righteousness.

Start the race early (Ecclesiastes 12:1): "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth." Young people think they can wait to start the race. But can a person be good too soon? Can someone repent too early? Even if he could — it is far better to repent a year too soon than an hour too late. Esau's tears came just as late as his venison (Genesis 27:33-34). David would seek God early (Psalm 36:1). Augustine confessed in his writings that he bitterly regretted not coming to know God sooner. Those who carry both old age and old sins into the race will find it very hard to run.

Take the narrow path, not the wide road. The road to hell is crowded — most people are going the wrong way (Exodus 23:2): "You shall not follow the crowd in doing evil." The crowd doesn't ask what is best — only what feels safest. Our Savior has told us: "narrow is the way that leads to life" (Matthew 7:14). Run in the narrow way of self-denial and putting sin to death.

Commit to staying in the race through dangers and difficulties. A good Christian must be hardened with courage and burning with zeal. There will likely be thorns and sharp stones in the path of this race — so you had better be well shod.

You must be shod with the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). The person whose heart is filled with the peace that the gospel brings will be able to run through the hardest stretches of the Christian life with ease.

You must also be shod with patience (Hebrews 12:1): "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Patience holds a Christian's heart up and keeps him from wearing out in the race. If this shoe comes off, he will soon start limping and give up running.

Christians must keep their eyes fixed on the finish line throughout the race. The Greeks had a white line drawn at the end of their racecourse, and the runner's gaze was fixed on it. Keeping the prize in view quickens Christians in the race. Paul looked steadily toward the goal (Philippians 3:14), the way archers fix their eyes on the target and runners fix their gaze on the prize. Moses (Hebrews 11:26) looked to the reward. He fixed one eye on God's glory and the other on the crown that awaited him.

Run with delight (Psalm 119:47): "I shall delight in Your commandments." Oil loosens the joints and makes them move freely. The oil of gladness makes Christians energetic and fit to run the heavenly race. "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).

Run in the strength of Christ. Do not think you can win this race on your own. Those who hold to free will speak of human ability, but it is not of "him who wills or him who runs" (Romans 9:16). By nature we are blind and lame — unfit to run. We run best when Christ takes us by the hand.

If you want to run in such a way as to win, keep grace in active use. It is not enough to have grace as a possession — you must have it in operation. Those who run the heavenly race must not merely be alive but lively. They need a vigorous faith and a fervent love. What does it mean to have "your loins girded and your lamps burning" (Luke 12:35) but grace in full activity? Without this, there can be no speed in the heavenly race.

If you want to run hard, pray hard. Prayer carries you forward in the race. Luther was a man of prayer. Make this prayer your own (Song of Solomon 1:4): "Draw me away! We will run after you."

Pray that you will not lose your way through doctrinal error, or stumble through offenses. Above all, pray for the Holy Spirit, who energizes us in the race and carries us beyond our own natural strength. God's Spirit breathed into us keeps us in breath.