A Marathon, Not a sprint

And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. (John 17:13-21 NLV).

On more than one occasion I have said to people who have sales careers, “Don’t worry, the sales business is more like a marathon than it is a sprint.” In any commission sales job it is easy to become discouraged when you have some of those “slow” days. However, it is always true that when you simply keep doing the things that have proven successful in the past, it will eventually work to your benefit.

This is the image of what it is like to be a Christian, a marathoner. However, there are some differences also. The Apostle Paul described Christian life and faith as being like a race. We are moving headlong to the goal of communion with God. The image of the marathoner is powerful image because we understand that being a Christian is not something we do for just one hour a day, one day a week. Instead, being a follower and devoted disciple of Jesus is something we are for life, for eternity. And as compelling as Paul’s image is, we can sometimes take it too far. After all, marathoners run alone. They cannot even be helped along the way. If the stumble, they must get back on their feet without the help of anyone else, to be helped is to be disqualified. The image of the marathoner is helpful as long as we remember that Paul simply meant that being a Christian is a lifelong pursuit. But being a devoted disciple is not something we can be all by ourselves. Being a devoted disciple is a team endeavor.

On the last day Jesus was on earth, he gathered his disciples and told them that they were to continue his ministry of taking the good news of God’s love to the entire world. “Go into all the world,” Jesus said. Before he was arrested and put to death by the Roman political machine, Jesus prayed for his disciples. He told God that he was sending his devoted disciples into the world to continue the mission he started. Jesus spoke to God and said, “as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” The bottom line for devoted disciples is that we have been saved for a purpose. When we talk about the life-long truth of being a Christian, the image of the marathoner works. But when we talk about being deployed in Jesus’ global mission, the image of the marathoner lacks firepower. Devoted disciples are not lone rangers running the race without need or benefit of other brothers and sisters in Christ. Being a devoted disciple and being deployed in Jesus’ global mission is a team sport. Today, think about the way that you can work with others in the mission God has given you to do. Be patient in your well doing. Run the race set before you and know that the Lord has been, and will continue to pray for you. Don’t give up!