Running Effectively

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” – 1 Corinthians 9:4

The legendary Apostle Paul makes a crucial life statement in a very simple manner. At a high level, he gives the key strategy to reaching both earthly goals and our eternal prize. Simply put, we must make sure we’re running effectively.

From a spiritual perspective, we are pressing towards an eternal prize with Christ. The race to see Christ requires us to “run” in a certain manner. For example, we must believe Christ is Lord, we must love God and love others, and we must continue to grow in character and purity. Even though our works do not get us into heaven, we are still accountable unto God to reflect His leadership in our lives.

We can apply the principle of “effective running” in all aspects of life. Not only does God want us to be eternally secure, but He wants us to fully run in our design. What is that burning desire and vision that you see when you think about your future? Do you want to be an actor? Professional musician? Corporate leader? Doctor? Missionary? Teacher? Entrepreneur? In order to see this vision become reality, we can’t just sit on our butts and do nothing! Faith is definitely a critical element to our success, but faith requires us to MOVE. Remember that faith AND works create your future reality. So the question is, are you running in such a way that you will obtain the vision for your life?

There are 168 hours in a week.
~ 50 hours are spent sleeping.
~ 10 hrs spent on the phone.
~ 30 hrs or so socializing/ entertainment/ TV / Misc
~ 40 hrs working or in school
~ 10 hrs driving
~ 28 hrs left to do whatever else…prayer, reading, strategizing, etc.

Are you spending your time wisely and expending your energy on the things that will bring you closer to your vision? Socializing and entertainment are necessary for balance, but are you spending too much time in this area and not enough time studying or praying? Maybe you work too much and a sacrifice is needed in order to make your vision a reality. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Am I running effectively?” Don’t make excuses on why you haven’t made progress, take action and change how you run!

Before we can begin running, we need to have clarity on God’s will for our lives. His will is His desire, His desires then become our desires, and our desires ultimately drive how we run. Are you clear on what your direction is? What prize are you running for? Begin asking God these questions daily, and start running effectively.