On November 28, 1895, the first car race was held in America, and it was sponsored by the Chicago Times Herald with the hope of selling more newspapers.  A prize of $5,000 was offered to inventors who could construct practical self-propelling “road carriages”.  The race was held in temperatures around thirty degrees Fahrenheit, with six inches of fresh snow and drifts up to 24 inches deep.  Almost 80 entrants were promised, only eleven agreed to run in such weather, and only six cars arrived at the start time.  The first car crossed the finish line seven hours and 53 minutes later, with an average speed of seven miles per hour and the use of 3.5 gallons of gas.

        “Words from Above” in the Bible tell us about a far more important race in Hebrews 12:1, 2.  In Hebrews 11, the apostle Paul spoke about a great number of heroes from the past who demonstrated unbelievable faith in God, and he refers to them in Chapter 12 as a great cloud of witnesses.

He says that as believers look back at this cloud of witnesses, we should lay aside every weight that would hold us back, and lay aside any sin that would distract us, and then we should “run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith.”  In other words, Paul compares our journey of faith with God to running a race.

        As Paul sensed the end of his life approaching, he wrote a letter to a young pastor named Timothy and spoke about the way that he had himself personally run this race.  He told Timothy that he had fought a good fight, he had finished his course, and he had kept the faith, and as a result there was reserved for him in heaven a crown of righteousness.  He believed that the Lord as the righteous judge would give him such a crown on the day of judgment, and that He would do the same for all who were looking for His appearing on that day.  When Paul said he had finished his course, he was talking about the course that God had laid out for him to pursue in the race he was running for the Lord.

        It is extremely important to know and understand that the Christian race is totally different than a car race in that it doesn’t really matter that we finish the race before anyone else.  In other words, the Christian race is not a race to see who finishes first, but rather the goal is to help as many people as possible to finish it.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.