Run to Win

 Many believers are stuck in mediocrity. If we do not watch out, we are prone to simply want to be like everyone else. We judge ourselves by other Christians, and compared to them we are OK, so we are content with our Christian life. However, we are just OK. We are not the best we can be. God never intended for us to have that attitude. Paul was inspired to tell us that we must run to win, not just finish in the middle of the pack. (I Corinthians 9:24,25) Athletes train hard to win a gold crown that tarnishes and fades. We are training and running for a crown that is gold eternally, which never fades. I wonder how we are doing on this goal?

Yes, we are talking about getting eternal rewards for how we live the Christian life. However, that is not the main point to make about our Christian life. The Christian life is hard. It has many challenges. In order to live it well, we must exert a lot of time and energy to grow in the Lord and become stronger and stronger in our faith. Then, we can see God do things in and through us that we would never have imagined. That makes God very pleased with us. It makes Him want to recognize our efforts, which He does. We humbly accept them, all the while knowing that it was His strength that made it all possible. God knows that, but He also knows that if we do not strive to win in our Christian life, we will never see any of those blessings for us and for others. Therefore, let's be determined to train hard and run to win for His glory!

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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Corinthians 10-12.