TOPIC: FINISHING WELL (2)
SCRIPTURE
1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-10:1
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain… But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
In yesterday’s article, we talked about determination as an indispensable factor in winning the race and obtaining the prize. Another factor to finishing strong is Discipline. In the ancient games, victory depended on the athlete’s rigorous training. Every runner entered strict training under the watchful eye of an official. Marathon runners were known to work out for years; lifting weights, running laps, regulating sleep, restricting their diet. Self-control means we must exercise mastery over our lives, foregoing some pleasures, pursuing other disciplines, all for the sake of winning. We must be committed to the basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life—Bible study, prayer, and meditation 1 Timothy 4:7-8 says “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” Direction is also vital in winning the race. The marathon course was clearly marked, winding through the landscape, and the runner needed to stay on course, his eyes on the goal. Paul said that he wasn’t running aimlessly or uncertainly, without a goal. The divinely designed track of God’s will is clearly marked by His Word. It is a narrow path that includes every aspect of our lives. Winning the prize requires seeking direction from Scripture and following the course it requires. Receive grace for the journey to finish your race in Jesus name.
PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for the STRENGTH of GRACE for my race I will not be hindered and I will not quit in Jesus name, Amen.
