Pt. 2

After that long post you may be wondering what the point was…well, I do have one!
In 1 Corinthians, chapter 9, Paul talks about a different type of athlete. A runner.
That is one thing I will never be, At least not in the athletic sense. But Paul tells us that all Christians are to be runners. In verses 24-27 he lays out how we are to run the race we are in and tells us that if we run well there is an eternal prize waiting for us at the end. One that will never get tarnished or destroyed.
He urges us to run in such a way that we will obtain it. How do we do that? It takes training. It takes temperance (v.25), discipline (v. 27), sacrifice.
The definition of temperance is restraint, controlled. That is one thing that a true athlete has to be. He can’t give in to every whim, every desire, every pleasure. He must have self-control. He has to discipline himself to do what is right for him, what will get him to the finish line, ignoring those things that would hinder him from accomplishing that goal. Along the way, it takes a lot of sacrifice, a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of pain, a lot of preparation. But a real athlete doesn’t see all that. He’s willing to do what it takes because his eyes are focused on what’s ahead and he knows that the prize is worth it.
What would happen if a runner didn’t spend time in training, or even spent just a few minutes a day doing a little bit of exercise? What if he sat around all day eating whatever he wanted & spent all his time on silly diversions. On race day, he would show up completely unprepared and not even clothed for a race.
He would probably be disqualified (v. 27) or lose miserably and still miss out on the prize.
No athlete ever acted like that and had a chance to win. And in truth, no Christian ever acted like that and won.
Just as the athlete is required to lay his self down for the prize, so we are to lay our selves down for the prize. They for perishable, but ours for imperishable. (v. 25)
Why is it then, that most athlete’s put more into getting their perishable crown than we put into receiving our imperishable one?
In verse 26, Paul reminds us to run with certainty. It’s the same as saying, run with conviction, faith, confidence, sureness. Keeping our eyes on the prize and knowing it’s ours, seeing the finish line in sight and knowing we’re gonna cross it.
In that same verse he talks about fighting, not as one who beats the air. When I play tennis or baseball, that’s basically what I’m doing. Aimlessly swinging around just hoping I hit something. Can I just say, that’s not how we are supposed to handle things when we are working toward our eternal prize. We can’t just read the Bible when we feel like it or pray when we need Him. It takes more than just going to church once or twice a month. That’s like aimlessly swinging a few times and hoping it’s enough to get you that homerun. Most people don’t get that homerun with aimless swinging and no trained skill or focus.
We are to fight with purpose, every step, every swing with the determination and focus that comes from the right training and discipline. And the pure belief that we are going to win.
We need to keep on keeping on, stay in training, keep running and press toward the goal. (Philippians 3:12-14)
We are all in this thing and this is one race I’m winning!
(2 Timothy 4: 7)