All three were proud of their medals. My wife, our daughter-in-law, and our grand-daughter recently ran in a Road Race for charity. They wore those medals as they posed for pictures afterward. I learned something that day about racing and medals. You do not get one for signing up, you cannot buy one, and you do not get one unless you finish. Some people do not show up at all. Others quit during the race. For some, it is too hard, they get too tired, or get too discouraged. No medal unless you finish.

It was interesting to see the different runners. Some were fast, ran confidently, and were among the very first finishers. Some were not very fast and it took them much longer to finish. Many of the first finishers stayed around to wait for the others and to cheer on their family and friends. I saw some fast runners who went slower than they had to because they were running alongside of someone to encourage them and help them finish. Some quit running but they did not quit the race. They kept walking until they finished. There were a few who looked like they may have fallen down, but they got up and finished the race.

No medal unless you finish. And everyone who finishes the race gets a medal.

It is just like being a Christian.

It is a race to heaven. The prize is to live with God forever. That is the medal you receive for finishing. The medal is not because of how good you are. It is not about whether you sometimes fell down. It is about finishing.

Paul, one of the writers of the New Testament, said it this way:

All I have to do is finish the race.
I have finished the race… Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day… (2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV).

You are invited to run with us. All the way to the finish. Write me at steve@hopeforlife.org. Or check out our blog at www.hopeforlife.org.