Ever watch a marathon? Despite all the entrants, there is always just one winner (ok, two or more if you consider the many categories – men’s, women’s, wheelchair, etc.). There are many who train just as hard as the eventual winners, sacrificing so much… and join even though they know that they have no shot at all at winning any of the official prizes
But in a very real sense, they join because they can gain a victory more precious than first place plaudits. It’s because in practical reality, they run a one-man race... they run against themselves. And it’s not just about finishing the race, but it’s more about conquering many things, the biggest of which is overcoming the many obstacles they place in the way of that victory… placed there by themselves.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, St. Paul exhorts this: “Run to win.” He goes on to say that, “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way… to win a perishable crown… but we, an imperishable one.” But to achieve that imperishable crown, it isn’t enough to just run. St. Paul himself says it in verse 27- “I drive my body and train it…” And then he says one other interesting thing in that verse – “for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
In athletics, we applaud those who attain successes, but when we find out that these championships are tainted by scandal and cheating, then the players are scorned. In the race we run against ourselves, perhaps no one will scorn us when we fail in discipline, when we cheat a little, when we sin. It could very well be that only we ourselves, and God Himself, will ever know. We could preach to others about being good, maybe even look good while doing so, and yet be disqualified by the other things we say and do. Others may not know it, but ultimately, He knows it. And, I would argue that so would we, making for a hollow victory when we consider the times and ways we fall short and underachieve, shortchanging God and our own selves in this race called life.
As in that marathon, the only real way to assure that precious victory, in this very personal race we’re running, is via training, discipline, and perseverance. So as St. Paul rightly says (paraphrased): always train for it and run to win that imperishable crown... a victory that ultimately only needs to be known by you… and Him.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, St. Paul exhorts this: “Run to win.” He goes on to say that, “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way… to win a perishable crown… but we, an imperishable one.” But to achieve that imperishable crown, it isn’t enough to just run. St. Paul himself says it in verse 27- “I drive my body and train it…” And then he says one other interesting thing in that verse – “for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
In athletics, we applaud those who attain successes, but when we find out that these championships are tainted by scandal and cheating, then the players are scorned. In the race we run against ourselves, perhaps no one will scorn us when we fail in discipline, when we cheat a little, when we sin. It could very well be that only we ourselves, and God Himself, will ever know. We could preach to others about being good, maybe even look good while doing so, and yet be disqualified by the other things we say and do. Others may not know it, but ultimately, He knows it. And, I would argue that so would we, making for a hollow victory when we consider the times and ways we fall short and underachieve, shortchanging God and our own selves in this race called life.
As in that marathon, the only real way to assure that precious victory, in this very personal race we’re running, is via training, discipline, and perseverance. So as St. Paul rightly says (paraphrased): always train for it and run to win that imperishable crown... a victory that ultimately only needs to be known by you… and Him.