Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about 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, Heb 12:2 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 (Heb.12:1-2).
I come from a running family – Have you ever heard that tweet that says “One of my biggest fears is that I’ll marry into a family that runs 5ks on holidays” Yeah… we’re that family. So this verse really caught my attention because of my distance running experiences.
Some of us decided that running wasn’t enough and took up triathlons – coz you know – why be good at one sport when you could be average at three? My brother and I decided to enter IRONMAN.
IRONMAN is a long distance triathlon race consisting of a 3.9 km swim, 180 km bike ride and a 42K run. The slogan for the race is swim 3.9 km, ride 180 km, run 42 km and brag for the rest of your life. When you finish this race you get to call yourself an Ironman, and amongst triathletes there is no greater achievement.
There is a bit of a joke – how do you know if someone is an ironman… the same way you know that someone does cross fit, they will tell you.
We were very new in the sport of triathlon and had watched the race on TV and decided that it was something we wanted to do. We didn’t realise how much training we would have to do to prepare for a race like this. IRONMAN events have a time limit of 16 to 17 hours depending on the course. So you definitely have to do the training and have some endurance to complete all the disciplines within the cut of times. There are a few things you have to consider before you enter the race.
First of all, the training is going to take up a lot of time. You will have to sacrifice most social events. You will have to sacrifice sleeping in on your weekends. You will however be forced to have a nap on Sunday afternoon – you’ll be totally exhausted from all the long training you’ve done on that weekend!
Secondly, you’ll need to have all the right equipment (3 sports) which is going to cost money. The races are generally out of town so you’re going to have to pay for accommodation. You have to pay for the entry fee and for these races it isn’t little. This entry fee is also non-refundable. You might be able to get it deferred to a different race if you’re able to prove that you can’t do the race for some special circumstance, but otherwise you pay your fee and if you don’t make it to the race, that is unfortunate. You have got to count the cost so to speak, before you enter this race. Once you’ve entered you will need to do whatever it takes to get to that start line.
So, we entered the race. We started training and training and training and training (You get the point). It didn’t take long before the sport totally consumed our lives. It was all we could think about, it was all we could talk about. We would talk to each other about triathlon or triathlon paraphernalia all day every day at work. We shared an office with my dad and I’m sure we drove him mad. We would leave work early to make sure we had plenty of time to train in the afternoon.
As race day drew closer our training intensified and we wouldn’t dare miss a session. We did not want to arrive on that start line unprepared.
So why am I telling you all of this?
It’s because I find similarities between the preparation, training and finishing this long race and our Christian walk of Faith.
How is it similar?
Jesus says in Luke Chapter 14 that we should count the cost and be willing to give up everything to follow Him. Salvation is free, but we are going to have to make sacrifices to follow Jesus. The specific sacrifice will be different for each of us, but they will all involve not giving in to the desires of this earth suit. We will have to sacrifice some sleep in order to spend time in the word, we will have to watch less TV or spend less time scrolling through our favourite social media. We might have to spend less time working on our next business idea. Maybe we need to walk away from a certain friendship circle or from a romantic relationship.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
It is easier with someone who knows the Lord…
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb.10:24-25).
Pro 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
This is positive peer pressure. My brother and I would meet at the gym in the morning and we would swim together, we did this for accountability. We didn’t want to let each other down so when the alarm went off, I knew his would also be going off, and we were in this together. This is even more important for our faith journey. For some reason we want to keep our walk very personal. There are some things that don’t need to be shared with everyone; sure, but we do need someone to be able to chat to so they can lift us up in prayer. Someone to keep us accountable. Someone who can check in on us to make sure we’re on track. It is so so important that we do life with other believers. Its about community. That’s why we meet in person and that’s why hot drinks are provided after the service – I’d encourage you this week to make an effort to meet with a couple or family that you haven’t met with before.
There should be physical changes in our lives.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Cor.3:17-18).
From the moment we believe in Jesus and begin to follow him. God puts us on a journey of transformation. Day by day and moment by moment, we are being formed in the likeness of Christ. We need to be committed to the process of change. I couldn’t expect to swim 3.9kms after 4 training sessions of 600m each. I had to spend hours upon hours in the pool getting my fitness up to reach that kind of distance. Just like time in the training, the more time we spend in His Word, the more we will reflect His likeness and the more excited we’ll be about the things of Him. Just as triathlon consumed my life while training for Ironman, Christ should be evident in our lives. The more time we spend in His Word, the more change we will make in this world. I feel like I mention this in every single message I share, but it’s just so important….
(To be continued)