In the message, “Embrace the Race,” we established that to embrace the race, we have to die to ourselves—our ambitions, desires, and preferences. We must be fully committed to finishing the course on God’s terms, not ours, and take hold of the ministry Jesus is offering us. And we do all of this so that our course will testify of the gospel of God’s grace.
That’s a big commitment! And yet, as I reflected on the message, I realized there’s one more thing we must let go of if we’re truly going to embrace the race — THE OUTCOME.
You might be thinking, I’ve already let go of my own ambitions. I’ve already surrendered my preferences. I’m already determined to finish the race on God’s terms. Shouldn’t I have some say in the outcome of this race?
In Acts 20:24, Paul declares that he will finish the course and ministry he received from the Lord. But here’s what Paul doesn’t know:
• He doesn’t know where the finish line is.
• He doesn’t know what the course will look like.
• He doesn’t know how hard it will be to get there.
The outcome is a mystery to Paul. He even has his own preconceived ideas about what it may look like (even to suffer death). The only thing he knows for sure is that he’s called to finish.
If we’re not careful, we’ll claim to have let go of our own plans, but when things get difficult—when the race takes us somewhere we didn’t expect or costs us more than we were willing to pay—our old desires creep back in.
We might say, I’ll run God’s race… but not if it takes me there.
We might say, I’ll embrace the ministry… but not if those people are part of it.
We might say, I’ll testify of God’s grace… but what happens when I don’t feel His grace in a moment of loss or affliction?
To truly embrace the race, we have to let go of the outcome.
We must trust that God has already set the finish line. Whatever happens on the way, whoever is still with us when we get there, and whatever the cost—we will finish, because God is the one who gave us this course and ministry!
That means:
• God decides the outcome.
• The details belong to Him, not us.
• He calculates the cost, not us.
• He determines what is valuable, not us.
So what does this look like in everyday life?
It means saying, “God, I give you this situation. I cast my cares on You, because You care for me.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)
It means saying, “God, they hurt me deeply, but I give the whole thing to You. You take care of them and the outcome.”
It means saying, “God, I thought this was going to turn out differently, but I surrender the outcome to You. I certainly can’t do any better with it!”
It means saying, “God, I thought they’d be part of my life forever, but they walked away—or they were taken from me. I let go of the outcome of that situation right now, in Jesus’ name.”
We have made the decision as a church to embrace the race God has for us. Now we have to decide if we’re willing to give Him the outcome—no matter what it looks like or how it feels.
Think on that for a minute. Ponder what all this decision could mean. Are you willing? I’m willing!
Church, we have to trust Jesus with the outcome! Even over what we want. Even over what we think we deserve.
Let’s let go of the outcome and RUN this race!
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