提后四7　 那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的赛程我已经跑尽了，当守的信仰我已经守住了。

　　来十二1　 所以，我们……就当脱去各样的重担，和容易缠累我们的罪，凭着忍耐奔那摆在我们前头的赛程。

　　基督徒一生最要紧的事，就是寻找主所命定的道路，并忠心地行走在其中。今天在信主的人中，有一件很不好的事，就是许多信主的人，并没有找出主为他个人所定规的道路；有的人就是找出来了，也不行走在其中；所以在生活上有这么多属灵的死沉和限制；在神的工作中有这么多的冲突和争执。我们每一个人最要紧的工作，就是安静地、等候地、祷告地、奉献地、顺服地，将自己交在神的手里，专心寻求神的指示，愿意顺服祂，愿意只遵行祂的旨意，求祂将祂为我们个人所定规的道路指示我们知道；然后，出一切的代价，一心一意地行走在其中（倪柝声文集第一辑第十册，七至八页）。

　　2 Tim. 4:7 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.

　　Heb. 12:1 Therefore let us also...put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us.

　　The most important thing in the Christian life is to seek out the journey which the Lord has ordained and faithfully walk on it. A poor phenomenon among believers today is that many have not found the journey that the Lord has ordained for them. Some, even though they have found it, do not walk on it. This is the reason that their living is filled with so much spiritual death, gloom, and restriction, and this is the reason that there are so many conflicts and arguments in God’s work. The most important task for each of us is to put ourselves into God’s hand in a quiet, patient, prayerful, consecrated, and obedient way and wholeheartedly seek after His leading. We should be willing to obey Him and act only in accordance with His will. We should pray that He reveal to us the journey He has designated for us. After this, we should pay any price to wholeheartedly walk on it. (CWWN, vol. 10, p. 424)

　　基督徒的一生，乃是一个赛跑。这个赛跑并不是为着得永生，并不是说赛胜的人才能有永生，反之，乃是已经得永生的人才能赛跑。这个赛跑的结局，就是有的人得着冠冕，有的人得不着冠冕（林前九24~25）。

　　得着冠冕，意思就是得了国度，与主耶稣一同作王、掌权、得荣耀。……基督徒的得永生，是没有问题的了；但是，他们的得国度，是要看他们如何奔跑而定。……他的言语，他的行为，他的思想，他的生活，他的一切，都与他将来能否得到国度有关。……他的舍弃，他的奉献，他的忠心，他的得胜，要帮助他作个得冠冕的人。而那些贪恋世俗，随从肉体的人，都要看见他们虽然已经靠着主耶稣得了永生，然而天国还不是他们的。

　　神把国度放在我们面前，神把一个赛程给我们去跑。跑完了，就要看见或是失败，或是得胜。得胜的就要与主一同作王；失败的，得救是得救了，但荣耀与他无分。……路已经摆在这里了，要跑的人，“就当脱去各样的重担，和容易缠累我们的罪。”〔来十二1〕奔跑有两件最要紧的事，就是：第一，放下重担；第二，脱去罪。

　　在这条路上跑的人，不只应当脱去容易缠累的罪，不只应当脱去各样的重担，还应当凭着忍耐奔那摆在前头的赛程。何以须凭着忍耐呢？因为赏赐不是在一起头就给你，也不是在中途就给你，乃是在路终才给你，乃是在跑完最后一步才给你。起头虽好，中途虽好，但未必至终能跑得好。起头得胜，中途得胜，最后也得胜，才算得胜。没有到终点以先，没有一个人敢担保他是必定得赏赐的。也许在最后的五步失败了。有一次二百公尺的赛跑，有一个人起头比别人快了二十公尺，岂知跑到离终点不过只有二公尺，竟然跌倒了。如果要得胜，你就当小心。没有到终局，就不能说你必定得着。保罗尚且说，“这不是说，我已经得着了，或已经完全了，我乃是竭力追求”（腓三12），何况我们呢！（倪柝声文集第一辑第十七册，二四九至二五一、二五四至二五五页）

　　参读：倪柝声文集第一辑第十册，末了一段道路；在旧造里撒但的混乱以及为着新造的神圣经纶，第一至四篇。

　　The entire Christian life is a race. This race is not for obtaining eternal life. On the contrary, only those who already have eternal life are qualified to run the race. At the end of the race, some will receive a crown, while others will not receive a crown (1 Cor. 9:24-25).

　　Receiving the crown means to obtain the kingdom, which is to become kings to reign and receive glory with the Lord Jesus….There is no problem with a Christian obtaining eternal life. However, his obtaining of the kingdom depends on how he runs the race…. All his words, conduct, thoughts, living, and everything about him have to do with whether or not he will obtain the kingdom in the future….Our abandon, consecration, faithfulness, and victory will make us those that receive the crown. But those who desire the world and walk according to their flesh will see that although they have eternal life through the Lord Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is still not theirs.

　　God has put the kingdom before us, and He has given us a race to run. At the end of the race, we will see if we have failed or won. The winner will reign with the Lord, while the loser, though saved, will have nothing to do with the glory of the kingdom. The race is already set, and those who want to run have to “put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us” [Heb. 12:1]. There are two crucial things in running a race. First, we have to lay aside every weight, and second, we have to put away our sin.

　　Those who run the race should not only lay aside the sin which so easily entangles them and every weight but should also run the race that is set before them with endurance. Why with endurance? Because the prize is not given at the beginning of the race, nor is it given in the middle of the race. Rather, it is given at the end—the very last step—of the race. We may run well at the start, and we may even run well at the midpoint, but we will not necessarily run well at the end. A victory involves winning at the beginning, at the midpoint, and at the end. Before reaching the end, we cannot guarantee that we will win the prize. We may fail in the last five steps. Once in a two hundred meter running race, a man was ahead of the other competitors by twenty meters at first. No one expected that he would fall down just two meters before the finish line. If we want to win the race, we have to be careful. We cannot say that we will surely win the prize before reaching the end. Even Paul said, “Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected, but I pursue” (Phil. 3:12). How about us? (CWWN vol. 17, pp. 229-231, 234)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 10, issue no. 24; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” chs. 1-4