John C. Maxwell - Running with the Giants: What the Old Testament Heroes Want You to Know About Life and Leadership

2002 by John C. Maxwell.

The author is represented by Yates & Yates, LLP, Literary Agent, Orange, California.

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are taken from The New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quotations noted NIV are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

Faith Words

Hachette Book Group

1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

hachettebookgroup.com

twitter.com/faithwords

First ebook edition: November 2008

The Faith Words name and logo is a trademark of Hachette book Group

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-446-54889-2

E3

As I continue to run my race, I dedicate this book to the following people. They ran lifes race successfully and greatly influenced my life:

Grandpa Maxwell
Grandma Roe
Jim Butts
Pop Butcher
Glenn Leatherwood
Raymond Moats
Lon Woodrum
Bob Swisher

and

Clayton Porter, my father-in-law, who loved his God and his family. The lessons he taught were reflected in the life that he lived. His legacy lives in our hearts.

They are now in the crowd, and I know they are cheering me on!

Id like to say thank you to:
Charlie Wetzel, my writer
Kathie Wheat, my researcher
Linda Eggers, my assistant
Stephanie Wetzel, my proofer/editor
Rolf Zettersten, my publisher

O n February 11, 2001, I had the privilege to speak at the NBA All-Star Game in Washington, D.C. My message that day centered on a favorite passage from Scripture:

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily, ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (HEB. 12:1)

This verse is preceded by the Hall of Faith passage in Hebrews 11 that describes Old Testament giants: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Rahab, who ran lifes course with great purpose and intensity. These verses have always been an inspiration to me because they portray an incredible picture. Can you see it? Just as professional basketball players, such as the ones at the NBA All-Star Game, are surrounded by cheering fans, you and I also have a great crowd of saints cheering us on as we run the race of life. The passage in Hebrews suggests that heaven is full of great men and women of faith who are rooting for our successful race through life.

I told the NBA All-Star players, coaches, and referees that its our time to take the baton and continue the race that others have begun before us. Like the writer of Hebrews, we can receive inspiration, wisdom, and empowerment from those who have gone before us. We can see them in the stands and hear them cheering us on.

Do you wonder what those heroes of the faith might be saying? When a crowd cheers, you cant distinguish one voice from another. But what if individuals could step out of the crowd, come down onto the track where you are running, and jog a lap with you? What would they say to you? Their time with you would be limited, so how could they share, in just a few words, the most important lesson they had learned from their own life? What words of wisdom would they use to encourage and empower you?

I shared that intriguing image at the All-Star chapel service. In my message, I offered words of inspiration that I believe some of the giants of the faith would share, were they to run a lap with us today. When I finished speaking, my friend Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic, said, John, you should share these thoughts with more people by putting them in a book.

I have taken Pats advice because I want you to be encouraged by the giants of the faith, just as I have been. What you will encounter on the following pages has grown out of my personal spiritual journey. Although Ive studied Scripture for more than forty years, for the last two years Ive focused particular attention on the lives of several biblical leaderspeople whose faith influenced others and who continue to influence people today. While considering the life of each of them, Ive continually asked myself, If this person could step out of the crowd and come down onto the track to run with me, what would he or she say?

Id like you to join me in receiving the counsel I believe they would offer us. I think you will find that what these leaders of the faith have to say:

is encouraging and empowering

represents the essence of their lives

is applicable to your life, and

will elicit a Yes! response from you

We need what these men and women have to offer, because the race you and I are running is even more important than the NBA All-Star Gameor any other sporting event. Our race has an eternal impact. Together, you and I can run with the giants for a while to receive their inspiration, wisdom, and empowerment. We need that, because encouragement is the oxygen of the soul. Read slowly, breathe deeply, and run faithfully.

Noah
One Person Can Make a Difference

I ts often said that life is a marathon. But I think its much more challenging than that. When track athletes line up to run a marathon race, they know that a finish line awaits them exactly twenty-six miles and 385 yards ahead. For the very best runners, the finish comes in a little over two hours. They know before they start approximately how much time it will take to finish. And though they run most of the race on the open road, they often finish the course in a stadium of cheering fans.

The race of life is very different because you never know where the finish line is until youre actually crossing it. As I write this, I have been running my life-race for five and a half decades. I dont know where or when my race will come to an end, but I suspect that I am somewhere in the second half of it. You may be closer to the start, or you may be nearer to the end, but know that you are also in the race.

When I read that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses and that we should run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb. 12:1), I picture myself running into a stadium filled with the giants of the faith. But unlike the Olympics, Im not entering the stadium to finish the race. I am doing it mid-race to receive encouragement from the people of faith who are watching me run.

Join me. You and I can enter that stadium together. While we run for a while on the oval track, you and I can receive energy from the crowd. They will inspire us to run faster and with more confidencenot only in the stadium, but also back out on the open road. And that will serve to empower us and keep us running the race until our Creator tells us were done.

As you and I enter the stadium and begin our first circuit of the track, we see an ancient man coming out of the stands to greet us. His face is weathered, his hands are boney and there is a hobble in his gait. He is far older than any other human being weve ever seen. As you and I approach him, we are surprised to find that he manages to fall in step alongside us. He turns to us and says: