THE WINNER IS?< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>2 Chronicles 16

The winner in the race of life is the one who runs accordingly to the end. The race of life is not about running to some extent, but about running it to the end mark. It is not all who start are winners, but the one who runs it to the end will be declared as winner. It does not matter how far and good you run, but it does matter to complete the race. Many started well and good, but halfway through or during the last leg, they failed in getting to the end of the race. The title that you carry will not represent a pass mark, but it is rather the task that you engaged yourself with. The race of life is a very serious issue and it is worth checking everyday if we have crossed outside the line or if we are still within the line. Crossing outside the line for long and failure of not crossing back into the line will cause one to be permanently disqualified. Asa, king of Judah, started his race wonderfully and he was way above and ahead in every footing in the race. God intervened and blessed him with rest and he was right on top of the crowd. Asa did all that was right before God and he did not allow even his family to contaminate all that he was doing to the glory of God. 2 Chronicles 15:16, ÒAlso he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron.Ó This testifies to how far Asa went for the Lord.  Asa was running the race so well and did not experience war until his thirty-fifth year as the king of Judah. In the thirty-sixth year when Baasha, king of Israel, came up against him he sought help outside of God who was the One that had been keeping him in all areas for years. Asa sought help rather from the king of Syria. As a result of him seeking help outside of God, he lost his footing inside of God and could not recover in the race. God sent the seer to Asa, ÒAnd at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ÒBecause you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.Ó (2 Chronicles 16:7) How could Asa faltered after going so far in the race and never turned to check to see how he was running the race of life? It is a puzzling question and it demands a constant meditation. A man who has done so much nevertheless had much challenge to keep up in the race of life. What is it that you are doing to keep yourself in check as you continue in the race? We cannot afford to shift focus, priorities and purpose of running. The race of life is for the one who gets to the end mark. Let us run this race in such a Godly manner so that we too can say as the Apostle Paul said, ÒI have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faithÓ. (2 Timothy 4:7) God will have mercy in Jesus name.