The Race of Life

     The Bible uses an analogy of running a race to symbolize our walk with God, but most people don't realize that they aren't racing the rest of humanity, but are actually racing Satan to the end of their lives*.  There is only one winner in this race and the winner gets the prize.  If you win, you bring your soul to Christ, but if Satan wins, he takes your soul**.  Too many people believe that the race is with the rest of the world, but this cannot be true because that would mean that Christ is the only one going to heaven; the Bible is clear about there only being one winner in the race*.  This is the race we call life and now that you know the stakes, what are you willing to do to win?

     Our race is not with the world, but with ourselves.  We are not trying to beat out our friends and family, but we are trying to save ourselves and our family from losing the race to Satan.  We focus so much on seeing others who are better in areas of their lives than we are in ours, but how can we compare ourselves to them when we are not even in the same race.  God has made each and every one of us unique and if you don't believe me, just look at your finger tips.  They are one of the smallest parts of your external body and even they are drastically different from every other person in the world.  If we are unique, then we are meant to be different by God's design and why would His plans and callings for our lives be any less unique***?  How can we compare ourselves to others when our callings are different?  Joe may be the most proficient Biblical scholar that you have ever seen and Jamie may be the best singer you have ever heard, but you may be the best public speaker that they have ever seen.  There are things that you are supposed to do that no other person in the world can do and that is something to marvel at.  God separates you from others, so why should you compare yourself to them?  You are in a different race!

     Now that we see that we are not racing others and are actually facing Satan, the issue of knowing how to beat him comes up.  The weapons of our warfare in this race are not physical, but they are in God.  Our weapons are the knowledge of scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit<>.  These weapons are not for use against our fellow man, but are for use against Satan><.  Too many Christians are more concerned with what their brother is doing and not concerned enough with their own path in the race<*>.  I would propose that we stop focusing on others issues and start building up others in Christ so that we all may finish our race first!


*1 Corinthians 9:24-27 -- "24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

**Revelation 20:14 -- "14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death."

***Jeremiah 29:11 -- "11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

<> 2 Corinthians 10:2-5 -- "2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

><Ephesians 6:12 -- "12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

<*>Matthew 7:3-5 -- "3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Is Jesus or the Bible the (W)word of God?

     Which is the (W)word of God; the Bible or Jesus?  My answer depends on what you mean by word.  If you are using word as the means of communication (the way we generally use words) then it is definitely the Bible.  However, if you are using Word as the power that caused things to happen at God's "word", then my answer would be Jesus.  Too many Christians try to elevate the Bible into the fourth member of the trinity and you cannot do that.  The Bible has an important message, but it is about Jesus and is not the written form of Jesus.  The Bible explains why we are here and tells us of our purpose, but Jesus gives us what the Bible can't, life and power.  The Bible is not the fourth perfect member of the Godhead because that is reserved for the three-in-one.  The Bible is just the means of communication.
     In John 1, it can be seen that Jesus is the power of God. Power in this sense means authority or exousia in Greek.  When God spoke, Jesus was the word that came out and caused things to be*. This is why we see that Jesus had power on Earth during His life to speak things into being; He is the Word that God used. This is also why He told us that anything asked in His name would be done because He is the means of making it happen**.  Jesus is the power, God is the initiator, and the Holy Spirit is the Overseer.  I have already explained how Jesus is the power.  When I say, "God is the initiator", I am referring to the fact that everything was created from God's will and He had a perfect design for it, thus He initiated it***.  God is the one who starts everything.  In saying that "the Holy Spirit is the overseer", I am saying that the Holy Spirit is watching over what has been created and is guiding us in God's perfect plan for our lives.  The Holy Spirit was placed here to guide us and lead us in our following of Christ<>.
     To see the Bible's part in being the word of God, we must look at 2 Timothy 3:16. In this scripture we see that the Bible is the inspired word of God meaning that God revealed Himself in someway to the writers of the Bible and they captured what they saw, heard, or felt in writing that we now recognize as the Bible><. When reading the Bible we must realize that it is in the perspective of the writer of that specific portion of the Bible. If we heard, saw, or felt what God showed them, then we may have noticed and written down something different. If you would like proof of this, then read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and compare the four. All four tell the same story of Christ, yet all say something different because they saw things differently from one another. This does not mean that the Bible is flawed, but that everyone notices something different and the writers wrote down what they thought was most important.

* John 1:1-10 -- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not."

** John 14:13-14 -- "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."

*** "The Lord God, the great initiator – the story begins One of the things that struck me as I reread the first chapters of Genesis is seeing God as the great initiator – or the central actor in this divine drama.  Watch Him move: “God said” – 15 times in Genesis 1-3 “God made” – 7 times “God saw” – 7 times “God blessed” – 3 times “God commanded” – 1 time  Starting in 2:15, though, is where the drama begins: 2:15 – God “took” and “put” man in the garden that he created for him (setting) 3:9 – God “called” to the man (the tension is building after the fall) 3:21 – God “made” for Adam and eve garments (sacrificial covering for their sin – at the height of climax) 3:23 – God “sent” them out of the garden (resolution)" http://r3cru.com/2010/01/god-as-the-great-initiator/

<> John 14:16-17 --  "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
<> John 16:13 -- "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come."

>< 2 Timothy 3:16 -- "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"