TOPIC: FINISHING WELL (1)
SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-27
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 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.
One of the most dramatic scenes in sports is the marathoner’s last lap at the end of a tiring 26-mile race. As the fatigued athlete presses to the finish line the crowd in the Olympic stadium cheers him on. Straining every muscle, the runner pushes through the tape and, before the watching world, is awarded the prize. Drawing from this athletic imagery, the apostle Paul compared the Christian life to a gruelling marathon, an event well-known to first-century Christians. Writing to Corinthians, believers who lived only ten miles from the famous isthmian games, he challenged them not merely to enter the race of faith, but to go “all out” and run so as to win. God wants winners! In our present sports-crazed society, perhaps no biblical metaphor better illustrates the reality of living for Christ.
To get to the finish line in order to win the prize you need Determination. One can’t win a marathon with half-hearted effort. The runner must have a will to win, a strong resolve. It isn’t enough to be in the Christian race. Rather, once entered, we must take our spiritual life seriously, pushing to the limit, deeply committed. This is not speaking of salvation or earning entrance into the race; it is calling us to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to win the victor’s crown at the end. The most coveted prize of the Roman Empire was the stephanos, the laurel-like wreath placed on the head of the champion. Made of leafy greenery, the victor’s crown brought instant fame, tax-exemption, and free education. Calling for our total commitment, the apostle Paul writes, “They do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” If a marathoner would be so dedicated to win a withering pine wreath and short-lived fame, how much more we ought to be determined to gain the eternal, imperishable crown? 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.
Goodseed Daily Devotional is the publication of Apostle George Amadi- Senior Pastor Goodnews Bible Church London. If you are in the London area do worship with us at Alperton Community School Ealing Road, Wembley Middlesex HA0 4PW.
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