Take Hold Of Life Series

I love running and have run many different races in my life. The Comrades 90km race has probably been the most memorable race of my life. No matter what race you run you get to a point in the race where it becomes very tough and you have to tell your body to endure and ignore the pain. You know that there is a finish line and you will get there.

In the Comrades marathon, the real pain comes at about the 60km mark. No human can physically run further than 60 km. From 60 km your mind takes over. Your legs are saying no further. Your mind receives the signal and tells your legs they have no option they must place each foot in front of the other no matter what. The people supporting the runners on the side of the road are telling you, “Not so far now”. They are lying because you still have 30 km to go and the hill Polly Shortts.

Polly Shortts is a steep hill named after a farmer who lived nearby, when it had rained and the hill was muddy and difficult to get over, he would help people to pass over the hill with their vehicles. The hill is 7km from the end and 2km long. It is very difficult for most runners, especially the more casual runners. Many have to walk up Pollies.

When I was 30 years old, I ran the Comrades. Wally Hayward was 80 years old when he ran his last Comrades. During his life, he had won the Comrades five times. While I was walking up Polly Shortts from one lamp post to another, I heard Wally shuffling up behind me. He past me and then I decided I will not let him be in front of me. So, with great effort, I shuffled past him to the next lamp post. For the full two km, this was how I kept going up Pollies. Wally crossed the finish line a few minutes in front of me as the oldest runner ever to complete Comrades. The main thing is, I finished and got the medal.

Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 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, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

We all getting older they say.

They say there are two things a man can be certain of that is taxes and death.

Although Paul had a revelation of life and he ran the race to attain perfection he continued to face death in his ministry. His life purpose was to preach Christ no matter the physical difficulties he had to face. He had a deep concern for all the churches. He went through great pain and even death in his life.

2 Corinthians 11:22-29 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

Although the disciples, others, and a prophet warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem because there he would die. Paul ignored pleadings and continued to his known destination

Acts 21:1-14 After sighting Cyprus and leaving it on our left we sailed to Syria and put in at Tyre, since that was where the ship was to discharge her cargo. We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them for a week. They felt led by the Spirit, again and again, to warn Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. But when our time was up, we left there and continued our journey. They all came out to see us off, bringing their wives and children with them, accompanying us till we were outside the city. Then kneeling on the beach, we prayed and said goodbye to each other. Then we went aboard the ship while the disciples went back home. We sailed away from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers there and stayed with them for just one day. On the following day, we left and proceeded to Caesarea and there we went to stay at the house of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven deacons. He had four unmarried daughters, all of whom spoke by the Spirit of God. During our stay there of several days a prophet by the name of Agabus came down from Judea. When he came to see us, he took Paul’s girdle and used it to tie his own hands and feet together, saying, “The Holy Spirit says this: the man to whom this girdle belongs will be bound like this by the Jews in Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles!”