Let Us Run With Determination

LET US RUN WITH DETERMINATION THE RACE THAT LIES BEFORE US. Hebrews 12.1,2.

The longer I minister to the Christians, the more I see that many have no proper concept of the ‘life to which God has called us in Christ Jesus!’ The people accept Christ and join the church and that is most encouraging to all ministers! When they come in, there is great jubilation and celebration! Why not! For Jesus said, “I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Lk 15.10). When ‘the going is good’, they stick on! Many enjoy the church and regularly attend services. Some even take part in the church activities. That’s all Christianity means to many.

The problem is that most church members don’t seem to have made any serious ‘life-long commitment to Christ and to the church!’ We labouriously bring in people through the front doors of our churches but many are walking away through our back doors unnoticed! One of the greatest tragedies of today is that when about 100,000 are reportedly added to the Church daily, we have no clue as to how many are deserting the Lord!

In my book, QUIT BEING A SUNDAY CHRISTIAN! BECOME A DISCIPLE!, I compare commitment to Christ and His Church to an ideal marriage – life-long! No desertion and no divorce! When Jesus called His disciples, beginning with Peter and Andrew and James and John, He said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4.19). The gospels say, “They immediately left their nets and followed Him” (v 20). At another time, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’ (Mt 16.24).

You have a choice to make, either to ‘follow Jesus’ or ‘not to follow Him!’ If anyone decides to follow Jesus, it has to be a life of self-sacrifice or denial of self and self-interests, and a life-long commitment to follow Him through sheer determination!

Dear believer, it is your decision! No one can force you to follow Christ for He Himself forced none! Once you decide, then you must follow Him day by day, with a dogged determination all your life. Don’t be like those whom I happen to meet in the market-place now and again. I ask them, “Where have you been? What happened?” They say the same thing, “Oh! Too busy!” or “I just lost interest!”

God doesn’t want such a calamity to happen to you. The Bible cautions and challenges you, “Let us run with determination the race that lies before us”. It tells you how you can do it. “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end”.

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, let me hear Your call loud and clear, “Follow me..” O! Holy Spirit, help me to follow Jesus closely, my eyes fixed on Him alone! Let not the world cause me to desert You, ever! Amen.