Run in such a way as to get the prize.
—1 Corinthians 9:24
Roger Bannister was expected to win the gold in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. He came in fourth.
He went into strict training, obsessed with being the first person to run a sub-four-minute mile, a feat track and field experts considered impossible.
On May 6, 1954, Bannister raced through cold crosswinds on a muddy track at Oxford in three minutes, 59.4 seconds.
When all is said and done, running a sub-four-minute mile may not be all that important.
But the race you’re running is. Paul thought it was the only race worth winning: “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me” (Acts 20:24).
You’re in the race of your life. Losing this one isn’t an option. Give it your all.
You’re closer to the finish line
than you’ve ever been.