The Most Amazing Race

By Lane Palmer, Christian Post Guest Columnist Friday, December 05, 2008

There must be something amazing about the reality TV show The Amazing Race. It's about to wrap up its 13th season of folks competing for victory with planes, trains and automobiles - acting like lions and tigers and bears (oh my!).

While the show is definitely entertaining, I do wish sometimes they would put a bit more reality in the "reality" aspect. If you pay close attention, you'll see inexplicable events put in to add suspense. You'll also see the rules change to keep the audience favorites on the show. Oh, and if we're calling it a race, can we let the people who are obviously in the lead go ahead and win instead of creating bizarre events that force it "down to the wire"? Still, there seems to be an element in most people that enjoys seeing competition - especially when it involves roadblocks, detours, and winners who gave it their all to take home the prize.

Have you ever thought of the Christian life as a competition? Is it possible that following Jesus is the most amazing race?

It's more than possible - it's the truth. Being a Christian is not a goody-goody-go-to church deal. That may be the way the media and messed up sources of info paint the picture - but the real picture is this:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The Bible compares the Christian life with a competitive race with a route and itinerary that is already laid out for us by God Himself! When you think about it - this totally makes sense. Each day we can find clues in His Word and through prayer that indicate where we should go next.

And of course, there are roadblocks and detours that try to slow us down or get us to drop out of this amazing race completely. They don't come from God, however, and here is where the competition comes into play. We are not competing with each others as believers - rather we are in competition with ourselves. It is abundantly clear to me that we are most often our worst enemy when it comes to serving Jesus.

We let discouragement and lack of faith detour us and get us off course.

We let sin and rebellion roadblock our progress and trip us up so we start to fall behind. And if we aren't careful - we may end up getting the wrong idea about the race and dropping out:

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom (Galatians 5:7-8). The people mentioned in these verses made the race a burden with rules and regulations that changed the good news of the gospel into a religious Debbie Downer fest.

But as Paul said - God called us to freedom! Have you ever truly enjoyed the race called the Christian life? It's more than amazing. It's getting up each day and fixing our eyes on Jesus - who ran the perfect race and showed us how to truly live life the way it was designed. It's looking forward to His return, when everything will be set straight and the race will be over.

So how is your amazing race going? As long as you are still living and breathing, it's not too late to get in the competition and compete for an eternal prize.

Followers of Jesus - run to win. See each day as a chance to defeat your sin nature and make more progress towards becoming like Jesus Christ, so that on Judgment Day you can stand in the winner's circle with Apostle Paul and declare these words:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me-the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Head: What you need to know about this truth
The Christian life is an amazing race where we compete with ourselves for an eternal prize in heaven.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth
Have you ever felt the thrill of competition? Have you ever fought hard for something and won? That's how you can feel about the Christian life every day!

Hands: What you need to do about this truth
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

This week, think through what sins "trip you up," how you can avoid them, and most importantly how you can keep your eyes on Jesus.