1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continue in our church’s sermon series through the Epistle of 1 Corinthians by the Apostle Paul. With the nations of the world coming together in just a few days to compete against each other in the 2022 Winter Olympics, this was a timely message. The sermon text (above) speaks the dedicated physical, intellectual and mental training regimen that athletes subject themselves to in order to compete at the highest level possible, win the event, and receive the prize. Like the Apostle Paul, Pastor Kyle uses the metaphor of the competitive athletic runners to illustrate a truth about life in general, because our life journey on this side of eternity is more of a marathon than a sprint to the finish line. The Christian life is an endurance race and requires patience, and the Christian church is truly a body of Believers based on one life at a time transformed by the power of God, yet working together to help bring those on the sideline into the race, then help each other to reach the finish line and hear the Lord say. “well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
The goal of life is not that we are sprinting constantly and dwindling, exhausted and used up. The goal of the Christian life is to run this race with endurance and in such a way that we will win in the end, while winning as many other souls as possible into the Kingdom of Heaven. We are in it to win it. This “winning” in the Christian life looks very different than the secular world’s concept of success. The Christian definition of winning lines up with God’s definition of winning. Christian run this race called life, with victory in their mind and on their heart. All of us have dreams, hopes, aspirations, and goals in our lives. But, not everyone has the disciple, endurance and character to take them to their dreams, hopes, aspirations, and goals. Discipline, whether spiritual or self-discipline, is what God uses to take a person to their goals. And endurance is what God uses to stretch a person beyond what they think is their capacity. Character is what God uses to keep a person at their achieved level. Talent is an amazing thing, but talent alone is never enough. Talent devoid of character, discipline and endurance can take a person to a place where talent alone cannot keep them.
Hebrews 10:34-36 “know that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
Every athlete exercises self-control and disciplines their own body. Discipline and self-control are not exactly the same thing, but they go hand-in-hand. Self-discipling is about the rhythms that lead to victory. Self-control is about the restraint to keep away from things that might deter the goal. If we are in it to win it and want to maximize our effectiveness, we need both, because they amplify each other when they are working together. There is an imperishable reward at the end of the race, called the Christian life.
Corinth was known for their Isthmian Games. These Isthmian Games, in ancient Greece, a festival of athletic and musical competitions in honor of the sea god Poseidon, were held in the spring of the second and fourth years of each Olympiad at his sanctuary on the Isthmus of Corinth. The Corinthians all understood the rigorous and lengthy 10 months of training that the Isthmian competitors would go through. Those athletes ran with purpose in every step. The Apostle Paul was connecting this recognized intense athletic training with the Christian life as an analogy. The emperor would reward the victors with the placement of a perishable flora wreath upon their head. Paul depicts God as being far greater than any human emperor stepping down from His throne in Heaven and handing each Christian a imperishable crown for their victory at the end of the Christian life. It was a visual word picture that was perfectly clear in their culture. Every workout was worth it and, similarly, with respect to our faith, every active spiritual discipline is worth it. When we read the Word of God, pray, every Small Group Bible Study, and attend Sunday Worship, it is worth it. There is purpose in every step. We do not run aimlessly. We are in it to win it!
Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on running the race of life in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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