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"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 3:13-14)
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There is one person I thought of in particular who epitomized this passionate pursuit of Christ, a man who was straining to move forward and not look backward. His prize was Jesus, and that kept him centered and determined what he would allow into his life and what he would not. This man was Eric Liddell. I read his biography a few years back and was deeply moved and challenged by it. One of my professors in grad school, Dr. Roy Fish, said:
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"If you want to be a great man of God, then read about great men of God."
Many are familiar with Eric Liddell's story as depicted in the movie, Chariots of Fire. I also recommend Duncan Hamilton's excellent biography of Liddell entitled, For the Glory. Liddell was a strong and committed follower of Jesus Christ. He was known as "the Flying Scotsman" due to his being the fastest man in Scotland and the greatest sprinter in the world. God indeed blessed him with speed to run! Famously, Liddell refused to run in the 1924 Paris Olympics 100-meter race because it took place on a Sunday. Though it was his best race, he did not run. He decided to enter the 400-meter race on a different day instead, but it was clearly not his strongest race. Nonetheless, God blessed him, and he ran and won the gold medal. (Just as a side note, in the London Olympics in 1908, there was an American runner who did run on a Sunday but holding a Bible in his left hand. He ran with the Bible as a sign of protest for the Olympics having events on a Sunday. According to Hamilton, this runner, Forest Smithson, not only ran clutching the Bible in the hurdles, but he also won the gold medal!)
Many are not as familiar with the last few years of Liddell's life as he served God faithfully as a missionary in China. He walked away from a very promising career in track and field to serve the Lord in missions. Like his parents before him, he gave his life in ministry to the Chinese people, bringing them the Gospel and serving them. Liddell embodied 1 Thessalonians 2:8, a verse by which I try to live in my ministry: "So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us."
Liddell died of brain cancer while in a Japanese prison camp in China; he was only 43 years old. But all those in the camp loved Liddell because he served God faithfully in the harshest and most dire of circumstances. We may not be able to control our environment or what happens to us, but we can always control how we respond to what happens to us, or our attitude. Liddell's last letter, which he wrote to his wife, Florence, back in Canada, was so powerful. He knew by then that he would never see her or his three daughters again in this life. He closed the letter with four words--a complete sentence that is packed with great hope. He simply wrote, "All will be well." (See p. 72 of Hamilton's For the Glory)
Think with me again on this wonderful text that God has given us through the pen of the Apostle Paul. Keep in mind these three words: Forward, Toward, and Upward. Living for the Lord is an incredible race and journey. Sometimes it is a sprint, sometimes more like a cross-country run, and at other times, it is like a marathon, where all you can do is put one foot in front of the other over and over again. Of all the races I have ever run I have yet to see anyone in their right mind, turn around and go back the way they came in order to get to the finish line. There is nothing back there but places and spaces he or she has already traveled. No, the goal is ahead, the prize is before you, so move forward, toward, and upward to the call of God in Christ Jesus.
Have you begun running the race of living for Christ? In order for a runner to run, he or she has to first get on the starting block. The starting block is receiving Christ as your personal Savior and Lord: believe and repent, trust and obey. Pray to receive Christ right now.
Once you make this commitment, you are poised to run your race with other believers toward the prize of Jesus in heaven above. What would you think if a runner knelt at the start of a race, got in position, and then when the gun fired, that same runner stood up, turned around, and started running the wrong direction? You would think he is terribly confused. Let us not be that man or woman, but let us move forward, toward, and upward to what God has for us as followers of Jesus!
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Podcast of the Week
10 Principles for Effective Living: Joy
Pastor Danny focuses this episode on the principle of Joy, discussing the important differences between happiness and joy, how to live with true joy, and how to identify and deal with joy-killers in your life.
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