Did you know it seems to be a popular sport to cheat at marathons? Not just any marathon – the most popular ones? One of the most celebrated cases was Rosie Ruiz in the 1980 Boston Marathon. Ms. Ruiz was not particularly tired when she crossed the finish line – which was very suspicious. The other runners did not remember seeing her at the start of the race and she was not in any picture taken during the event. She actually hid in the crowd about half a mile before the finish and jumped out of the crowd when no one was looking.
But she didn’t just cheat in that marathon. She cheated in the marathon in New York a few months earlier. In that race, she began but then jumped off the course and took the subway to the finish.
But maybe the most egregious example of cheating in a marathon happened just a month ago. The New York Marathon was cancelled due to Superstorm Sandy. So, the New York Runners’ Club – which organizes the marathon – decided to hand out medals to anyone. That’s right – irrespective of who you were – just show up, write your name down, and walk away with a medal. You didn’t even have to provide an ID or even prove that you were registered for the race!
A medal in a race, of course, is ultimately worthless. Especially in a race that never occurred. The problem is that many people treat Christianity that way. They think they can sit out of serving Christ for most of their lives and then jump into the course – on their “deathbed” – and become a Christian and, viola, they are in heaven.
But Christianity doesn’t work that way. It is much like a marathon. You decide to get in on the race as soon as you realize you’ve sinned against God and dishonored Jesus Christ. Then you stick with it all the way to the end. Yes, you may fall down but you get up and keep going.
You can’t finish the Christian race if you never start. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
–Paul Holland
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Tonight!
Ladies Night Out
Golden Corral in Georgetown
6:00 PM
Bring an ornament to swap.
We pass out Christmas baskets
Saturday, December 15th
