Run straight towards the goal
Inspiration from Olympic gold medal missionary Eric Lee
▲Lee Airi’s story was made into the movie “Chariots of Fire”.
Scotsman
Eric Henry Liddell, the gold medalist in the men's 400-meter race at the 1924 Paris Olympics, was born in Tianjin, China, in 1902. His father was James Dunlop Liddell, pastor of the London Missionary Society in England, who was preaching in China at that time. When Li Airi was six years old, he returned to the UK from China with his brother Robert. During his school days, he showed amazing athletic talent. He was the captain of the school team in rugby, cricket, and track and field. He was especially outstanding in sprint events, winning 100 yards and 220 yards. And the British 440 yard champion, known as the "Flying Scotsman". 1
"When I run, I feel God's joy."
Li Airi grew up in a Scottish family and has a strong foundation in Christian faith since childhood. He also firmly believes that God has given him the gift of running. When more and more trainings and competitions took up his time for preaching and evangelism, his sister Jenny, who served with him, was worried that her brother would stay away from the gospel ministry because of racing. Eric Li said to his sister sincerely that he knew God very well. The purpose of creating him was to serve in China; but God also made him run faster than others. "When I was running, I felt the joy of God." "Winning the race is not just about pursuing personal pleasure, but about glorifying God." "
Li Airi believes that his will to run comes from the power of faith. "Faith is a good race. I don't have a magic formula to win the race, because everyone runs in their own way. But where does the power to run to the finish line come from? From the heart. Come. Jesus said: Behold, the kingdom of God is within you, and you will find it if you seek me with all your heart. This is how you run the race of life. straight race.)》2
Olympians who won't compete on Sunday
In 1924, while still studying at the University of Edinburgh, Li Airui was selected to join the British Olympic team. His excellent sprint performance made him the British Olympic gold medal hope. But when the British team took a boat to France, he learned that the preliminaries of the participating events, including the men's 100-meter dash, would be held on Sunday.
Faced with the conflict of having to race on Sunday, the race he loved and the great opportunity to win glory for Britain, Eric Lee decided to keep the Sabbath and "not race on Sunday."
The Olympic Committee rejected the British delegation's request to change Sunday's schedule. Britain's Prince of Wales, who was attending the Olympics, invited key members of the delegation to hold discussions in the hope of persuading Li Airi to compete on Sunday. He expressed his righteousness to Lee Airi with national dignity and patriotic sentiments. Others emphasized that the British tradition has always been that the king comes first, God comes second. In extraordinary times, loyalty to the country is above all else. In addition, some people questioned whether Li Airi meant what he said and loved running but refused to compete. They even said, "If you continue to be stubborn, you just don't understand the general situation!"
In this regard, Eric Lee has always been firm and calm. He said: "God established the country and the king, and gave laws and regulations, and the king governed the country accordingly. However, God's Ten Commandments say that the Sabbath belongs to Him, and I follow this principle." 3
"Whoever respects me, I will respect him"
On the day of the 400-meter final, American runner Jackson Schultz handed Li Airi a piece of paper4 when he started the race. On it was a handwritten verse from 1 Samuel Chapter 2, verse 30 of the Bible: "I will value those who respect me." "He." Eric Li chose not to compete on Sunday. Although he was criticized and questioned for this, God's words came to him again and strengthened his choice to obey God's commandments - he knew that the reward given by God would eventually surpass all competitions in the world. gold medal.
Unfortunately, Li Airui was placed on the outermost track. In the 400-meter race, because the curve increased the centrifugal force of running and he was unable to visually measure the distance from other runners, this meant that Li Airui's chance of winning the gold medal was slim. However, a miracle happened. When the gun fired, Li Airi rushed out and took the lead. In the last 100 meters, his arms swung up and down, and he raised his face to the sky, as if he was seeing the glory of God. He accelerated towards the finish line and not only won the gold medal, but also broke the Olympic and world records in 47.6 seconds.
Those who wait for the Lord will soar with wings like eagles
The Olympic Games originated in ancient Greece. The modern Olympic Games began in 1896 and have become the largest sports event in mankind. More than 200 countries and regions participated. Heads of state, senior officials, nobles, celebrities and ordinary people came to watch the games. There were athletes from different countries on the field. Players and referees. During the competition, some people sprinted, some fell, and some stood up and continued running; some gave up because of fatigue, and some cried because of defeat. This scene is just like what Isaiah predicted 3,000 years ago. The competition among all peoples and nations is short-lived, as insignificant as a drop of water and a mote of dust in front of God.
Isaiah declares: “He gives strength to the weary, and to the weak He strengthens. Even the young men will grow weary and weary, and the strong will fall completely. But those who wait on the Lord will regain their strength. They will soar with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)
In 1923, Li Airui also participated in the 400-meter event at the Anglo-French International Track and Field Games in Scotland. Unfortunately, he was knocked down by an English athlete who was trying to get out of the way at a corner. Li Airui looked at the other players' backs and left quickly without giving up. Although he was 18 meters behind other opponents, he kept chasing after him. He was running like an eagle flying high in the wind. He had surpassed all the competitors with 40 meters left. In the end, he sprinted to the line with a lead of 2 meters to win the championship, and then fell down. In the arms of teammates.
God values the heart
The apostle Paul said: "I do not say that I have already obtained it, but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and working hard on what is before me, I press toward the goal..." (Refer to Philippians 3:13-14) Eric Lee I spent half my life running for the glory of God. When faced with the challenge of my faith, I obeyed God’s commandments and chose not to race on the Sabbath. God values those who fear Him and lets the world see His mighty deeds in those who obey Him.
Because of his faith, Li Airui resolutely returned to China at the age of 24 and traveled across China to preach the gospel. He was later imprisoned by the Japanese army in the Ledao Yuan Concentration Camp in Weifang, Shandong. In a difficult environment, with his love for the Lord, he helped many people, led many people to know Jesus, and even made people aspire to become missionaries. At the age of 43, he died in the concentration camp. The next day, a non-Christian prisoner described Li Airi's life filled with God's love and said, "Jesus lived with us in the camp, but he died yesterday!"
The world knows Eric Lee’s brilliance perhaps because he was an Olympic gold medalist; however, what he left to us is purer and more valuable than the Olympic gold medal, which is his faith attitude of walking closely with God and living for Christ.
It's attitude, not ability
No matter how great or small a person’s ability is, God values a person’s attitude that is fully devoted to the Lord. "He who is faithful in a little thing will also be faithful in a great thing." (Luke 16:10) What God cares about is not what I can accomplish, but the attitude of faithfulness, that is, whether I can do it or not, I am willing to be humble before God and use the strength of a race to do what He has entrusted me to do. For example, God commissioned Hudson Taylor to preach the gospel to the Chinese people. He said: "If I have a thousand pounds of gold, China can withdraw all of it; if I have a thousand lives, I will never leave any of them to China."
Eric Lee shared his secret to winning the Olympic 400m medal: "In the first 200 meters, I rushed forward as fast as I could. In the next 200 meters, with God's help, He allowed me to run faster." Our abilities are given by God, but our attitudes come from our choices. When we are willing to give with all our strength and without reservation, this attitude is touching and must be pleasing to God. Li Airui's testimony tells us that giving up completely is a determined choice, not a random one, nor will it follow the crowd.
The greatest lesson in overcoming by relying on the Lord
Li Airui believes that decisions made based on principles do not need to be accompanied by proof. God is gracious, but not obligated to allow those who do His will to win first place in any earthly competition. 5 Eric Lee makes decisions based on the principles of his faith but leaves the sovereignty and consequences to God. He was very happy to win the 400m gold medal, but he did not equate "refuse not to compete on Sunday" with "God blessed him".
When we pray and ask, when we work for the principles of our faith, even when we suffer misunderstandings, we believe that God will eventually bless us; even if not, we believe that whatever God gives me is the best for me.
Between not worshiping God (or being asked to worship King Darius instead) and the lion's den, Daniel decided to "pray and give thanks before God as usual" (see Daniel 6:7-10), Sure enough, he was thrown into the lion's den; but God saved him in a wonderful way.
Li Airi is just like Daniel. When faced with challenges in life, whether in a track and field competition or in the harvest fields in China, he fearlessly chooses the principles of faith. Regardless of success or failure, life or death, he obeys God; he does what is right and gives up his sovereignty to God. In the hands of God. This is the greatest lesson for Christians in the process of overcoming by relying on the Lord.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before going to the cross, the Lord Jesus prayed to God the Father, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. However, not according to my will. Only according to yours. the meaning of". (Refer to Matthew 26:39) The Lord Jesus’ radical love for mankind defeated the temptations and obstructions of Satan; He “became obedient even to death, even death on the cross” (Reference Philippians 2:8 ), determined to complete the great redemption plan entrusted to Him by the Father. He sets a benchmark for us on the race track of life, calling us to keep running forward until we receive the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Eric Lee imitated Jesus and surpassed the Olympic gold medal. His "pure gold" faith attitude is our most valuable inspiration.
▲Lee Airi shared the secret of his Olympic 400-meter medal: "In the first 200 meters, I rushed forward as fast as I could. In the next 200 meters, with God's help, He allowed me to run faster."
1. "He is an Olympic champion: he gave up competition for his faith in the first half of his life, and died in China for his faith in the second half of his life", text/True Light Vision CEO (https://kknews.cc/sports/8xglp6l.html).
2. "The Protagonist in Chariot of Fire - Li Airui who dedicated his life to China", written by Liu Ping (http://blog.ilc.edu.tw/blog/index.php?op=printView&articleId=407615&blogId=1651) .
3. 維基百科索引Eric Liddell： https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E5%9F%83%E9%87%8C%E5%85%8B%C2%B7%E5%88%A9%E5%BE%B7%E7%88%BE。
4. The movie "Chariots of Fire" (Chariots of Fire), a 1981 British film directed by Hugh Hudson.
5. Documentary Eric Liddell: Champion of Conviction (2007).
6. The English version of the movie "Ultimate Victory" "On Wings of Eagles", 2016, directed by Xian Qiran.
John Chen, has worked in major cities in the United States for many years. During his work, he led the team to handle many large-scale events and carried out organizational management transformation. I believe that with love leadership, nothing is impossible in the Lord.