Transcript

Will You Win the Race?

Hello, I’m David Cerullo. Thanks for joining me as I begin this series on finding victory in your Christian life. For the next few weeks, I’ll be coming to you from the NASCAR Hall of Fame here in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If you’re not familiar with NASCAR, it stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The drivers involved in NASCAR compete against each other at incredible speeds – sometimes exceeding 200 miles an hour or for those of you watching from outside the United States that’s 325 kilometers an hour. That’s fast! Perhaps you’re wondering what this could possibly have to do with you. And if you’re a Christian, you probably want to remind me that NASCAR racing is nowhere to be found in the Bible!

However, I think the apostle Paul understood the importance of racing as a metaphor for the Christian life. While there weren’t any cars back then, in 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT) Paul spoke of running a race. He said “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!”

Paul makes several vital points here. First, he’s saying that, whether you know it or not, you are in a crucial race – the race of life. “Everyone runs,” Paul says.

But his second point is that not everyone is successful in this race. Not everyone gets the prize at the end of their race. Paul goes on to give instructions on how to “run to WIN!”

In this series, I’ll give you similar instructions to experience victory – both in your life today and then throughout eternity. You see, someday this present life will end for each of us. How you respond to God’s love and grace today will affect your eternal destiny.

Paul saw his life and ministry as a race, and he wanted to be sure he wasn’t disqualified. At the end of his life, he said in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

My friend, are you confident in where the race you are running is leading?

Are you confident crossing the finish line leads to a wonderful life with Him in Heaven for all eternity?

Crossing the finish line into Heaven begins with a simple decision to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, who died in your place on a cross, and rose again to provide forgiveness of your sins. If you ask Him to forgive your sins and turn your life over to HimHe will transform your life.

I hope you’ll join me tomorrow, as I share some insights on how you can enter into God’s Hall of Fame of Faith. God bless you.