Message summary: Life's most important decision is whether you have made your spiritual beginning by believing in Christ, confessing your sin and choosing to follow Him.

Listen to our message on your audio player.

"For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

This week we will be studying lessons we can learn from the race since in several instances the Bible describes the Christian life as a race.

During the nineties when we lived in Massachusetts we went into Boston twice to watch the Boston Marathon; the first time at the finish line on Boylston Street in the heart of downtown, the second time at "Heartbreak Hill" in Newton.

But I never made it to see the race begin at the starting line in Hopkinton, MA. I heard that it's very interesting. What a place of excitement mixed with suspense as to who will win, who will place, who will finish and who will drop out!

We have a lot of starts in life. Our first start was at conception when we became a distinct human being and of course our birth. We started walking, we started talking and we started kindergarten. The many different types of starts in life are far too numerous to mention.

Starts can be joyful or grievous. Some we look forward to with joyous anticipation, others with sorrow, coupled with fear of the new start. Many of these "starts" become a defining moment on our timeline. So many are good, but others like "started using cocaine", or "started a prison term" are certainly not desirable!

But God is with us in all the starts of life, both planned and unplanned, desirable and even the undesirable.

The Christian race must have a start. Spiritual beginnings are also exciting and if we are a genuine Christian we all have had one. Jesus called it being "born again" (see John 3).

We are not in the race by default regardless of our upbringing. This start begins when we place our faith in Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. For many the spiritual new birth experience is a memorable event, especially if they had rejected Christ prior to their conversion. The apostle Paul certainly had a memorable and demonstrative salvation experience!

Paul wrote, "For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). For all of us there is a time when we "first believed". For some, when they first believed, it's a very distinct memory; for others not so much, particularly if they came to faith early in life. I have seen believers in this category who deal with some questions regarding the validity of their salvation experience because their memory is faint or nonexistent regarding this matter.

The real issue is present belief and a desire to follow the Lord and walk in His ways. You are not in the race unless you've started and if you haven't done so we encourage you to accept Christ as Your Savior today, and begin your starting point! May we also joyfully proclaim, like songwriter John Newton, "How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed".

Life's most important decision is whether you have made your spiritual start by believing in Christ, confessing your sin and choosing to follow Him. We encourage you to do that today. Our daily prayer will be a common format for this "starting the race" prayer.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber