Written by Greg Benner 07-22-1999

Complacency... apathy... hardness... criticism... selfishness... pride... arrogance... hatred... division... revenge... slander... faithlessness... despair... depression... immorality... insensitivity... disobedience... rebellion... and sin-in-general all flow from our selfish inclination to trudge thanklessly through life refusing to see God's love on the cross through eyes of appreciation.  We grumble against, complain about, and quarrel with our brothers and sisters in Christ because we do not get what we want (James 4:1-3).  We deny God as we justify our sinful attitudes by going to church on Sunday, wearing our Christian T-shirts, and saying a few amens during the preacher's message...yet live unchanged lives (II Timothy 3:1-5).  We let everything from golf to our version of responsibility convince us that we're doing our best, when in reality, we're consuming our best and giving God the measly left-overs.  We rationalize away God's call for us to tithe, serve, and support His Church in its mission to love unsaved people because our prideful grip on grace and our personal greed have robbed us of financial, personal, and spiritual cash.  Consequently, our self-focused bent scraps lost souls, ignores God's calling, erases eternal truth, and tramples Christ's redemptive love under foot in exchange for a lie (Romans 1:18-25).  Unfortunately...none of us is exempt, immune, or untouched by the fingers of sin.  The Aposltle Paul drives this crucial point home in Romans 3:23 saying, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...."  Though many of us claim to have accepted Christ as our lord and savior, only those of who persevere in humility, obedience, and God's love to the end will truly be saved (Matthew 24:13).  Lip service means nothing (James 2:14-26).  The answer rests in our perspective of life, love, and God.  We must choose to see, live, and experience life through God's eyes, not ours...if we are to live.  Therefore, we must stop living in hopeless endurance, get started on spiritual exercise, and overcome in holy expectation that God will do the impossible as we run the race.

We must face the fact that trudging through life with hopeless endurance is a dead end not leading to victory lane.  When unsaved people watch "so-called Christians" living burdened, overwhelmed, and downcast lives; they find myriad reasons to avoid a personal relationship with Jesus.  People are not inspired by a runner who drops out..  Instead, they are beckoned on by the runner who goes the distance to win!   Who in their right mind wants to serve a Jesus who gives up on them?  Nobody!  Who wants to follow a Jesus who sounds like a loser when sin cheers them on?  Nobody?  Who wants to risk giving their life to a Jesus that demands excellence, yet gives nothing?  Nobody!  Yet, many unsaved people watch so-called Christians portray a Jesus Who seems as appealing as a bad case of shin splints or a Charlie horse.  Why would such a version of Christ breed distrust, crush hope, or drive people away instead of leading to life?  Because we live unbridled, undisciplined, and unexercised lives addicted to pleasure rather than work.

Picking Up The Pace 

Heading down the back stretch, we must get in the groove of spiritual exercise in our quest to win.  All of us have heard the one-liners..."There's no free lunch...All good things have a price...No pain, no gain...Be part of the solution, not the problem!  Regardless of our intentions...exercise takes commitment, requires discipline, and must be focused on God's goal.  In I Chronicles 21:24, King David said, "I will not offer to God that which cost me nothing."  Unfortunately, too many of us find ourselves lost in the mire of guilt somewhere between good intention and action.  Human desire hates exercise.  All of us are lazy by nature.  Yet, we cannot expect a payoff without investment.  Merely enduring life is like waiting to be ejected from the race.  On the other hand however...living life with expectation is like preparing your victory speech before you cross the finish line.  The dividing line between the cut list of endurance and the winner's circle of expectation...is exercise.  When we exercise our hearts, minds, and spirits with truth, prayer, and faith; our training equips us to run in the great commission with Christ to bear fruit that lasts.  Unless we exercise faithfully each day, our spiritual condition will cause us to drop out of the race as Christ our Coach looks on.  Therefore, we must train hard to compete with an expectation to win.

Rounding The Bend

Rounding the last turn, we must run with expectation to pass life's problems by in pursuit of the possibilities.  Far to many folks have a list of problems as long as their arm.  Just ask them, you'll see!  Nine times out of ten, people can unleash a torrent of woes sufficient to erase any good thing.  We fail to remember that our outlook on life is a choice, not the flip of a coin.  If more of us would choose to view life like a rookie runner whose just won his first race, our world would see a Jesus whose pumped, enthused, and victorious, not defeated.  After all, who wants a Jesus who runs to win?  Everyone?  Who wants a Jesus whose enthused about life?  Everyone!  Who wants to give their life to a Jesus of victory when confronting their own sin?  Anyone!  In a nutshell, much of our world is heading towards hell because our Jesus has been made to look like a wimp, a quitter, and a loser waiting to blame them for His loss.  Yet, we serve the risen Christ, the mighty King, the Author of life, the Lord of glory, the great I Am!  How can our incredible God be reduced to a loser in the eyes of our world?  By our choosing to let selfishness reign in our hearts instead Jesus our King.

Heading For The Wire

We must dig in, refocus, and pour it on as we run toward the finish line to win heaven's prize.  Honestly...if we are committed to truth and Jesus is lord, our solution surfaces at once.  First, we must stop trudging through life with a selfish and unteachable heart.  Second, we must train hard to perform at our created potential.  Third; we must view life, others, and God through faith, hope, wonder, and the eyes of a child if we want Jesus to do His miraculous stuff!  And, fourth, we must honor what is valuable in God's economy...people!  We will never gain a victory through which Jesus will be seen, unless we break free from our pride, materialism, and pleasure.  Whether we want to face it, like how it sounds, think it's fair, or if it applies to us...will not change the eternal fact that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for our lives (II Corinthians 5:10).  If we start now, there is still time to get back in the race.  Therefore, "...forgetting what is behind and straining on toward what is ahead, let us [sic] press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us [sic] heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).  Remember, hopeless endurance is a dead end...spiritual exercise is hard work...and holy expectation doesn't just happen.  It's a calling, a privilege, and a divine responsibility that will never begin if we continue to say, "maybe tomorrow."  Paul's words in James 2:18 called us to action when he said, "...show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."  In this light...are we going to love people in Jesus's name when the going gets tough...or, just talk about it?

Copyright / BattleCry Ministries - Greg Benner 1999 / All rights reserved worldwide.  These materials shall not be used or distributed without written permission.