Are you running the Christian race with perseverance?

1. Youth Devotional - The
Character of a Champion
Are you running the Christian race
with perseverance?
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

2. Of the many Olympic events, to win the
Marathon is one of the most prestigious.
Yet in the 1968 Olympic Marathon, it is
not the winner, the one who finished first,
who is most remembered, but the runner
who finished last.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

3. Darkness was falling. Only a few thousand spectators
remained in the stadium. The Marathon had been won
over an hour earlier. Now, as the last of the spectators
were leaving, their attention was suddenly drawn to the
sound of police sirens and whistles at the marathon gates.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

4. Out of the cold darkness, John Stephen Akhwari, wearing the
colors of Tanzania, entered at the far end of the stadium, painfully
hobbling, his leg bloody and bandaged.
Earlier, several miles into the race, Akhwari had found himself
trapped in the middle of some runners. Unable to see well, he fell
and severely injured his knee and ankle. He watched in anguish as
the other racers continued. But he didn’t give up there.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

5. Grimacing with every step, he now painfully hobbles around the
400 meter track, eventually crosses the finish line and collapses–
the last man to finish the marathon.
The spectators rise and applaud him – saluting the man’s
determination. Without looking back, Akhwari quietly walked off
the field. Later, when asked why he did not quit, he replied, “My
country did not send me 7000 miles away to start the race. They
sent me 7000 miles to finish it.”
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

6. Akhwari was never awarded a medal. They don’t hand out
awards for perseverance at the Olympics. Yet few
remember who won the gold in the 1968 Marathon.
Instead they remember John Stephen Awkwari — the
runner whose determination and perseverance
represented the true character of a Champion.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

7. Anyone can start something
but true Champions finish what
they start!
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

8. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with perseverance the
race marked out for us.”
-Hebrews 12:1
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

9. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible
Study Series with an Olympic Theme?
What is salvation all about? What does it
mean to be saved? This sports themed
Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the
Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of
sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle),
purity (white background), spiritual growth
(green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and
(Baptism) blue circle.
Creative Youth Ideas
Go for the Gold
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”
www.creativeyouthideas.com/goforthegold.html

10. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series
on ”Running the Christian Race”?
The race as a metaphor for the Christian
life is used in several places in the Bible.
This series is a great follow up for new
Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of
our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This
Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a
sports theme and is great for athletes as
well as a tie in to the youth Olympic
Games.
Creative Youth Ideas
Destined to Win
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”
www.creativeyouthideas.com/destinedtowin.html