Printer Friendly Version

1 Corinthians 9
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 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.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 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. KJV

1 Corinthians 9
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. NIV

1 Corinthians 9
24You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.
25All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.
26I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me!
27I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. THE MESSAGE

The Tortoise and The Hare (Aesop's Fables)
There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch. Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, "How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?"

Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, "There is plenty of time to relax." Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the finish line. The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke up Hare. Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise
was over the line. After that, Hare always reminded himself, "Don't brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!"

Have you heard the cliché':
WIN, LOSE OR DRAW, BE A GOOD SPORT

That is good sound advice to be instilled in the mind of a young athlete

HOWEVER

When it comes to the realm of the Spirit and the pursuit of the kingdom of God, the things of God and one's eternal home, a passive polite platitude is not a question of winning and losing. It is a question of winning!

In pursuit of eternal things it is a fight to the finish and you cannot lose or draw. There is no middle ground and there are no rewards for second place finishers. Winning is everything.

Matthew 11:12 "…………the kingdom of God suffereth violence and the violent take it by force."
"the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." NIV

We are not going to simply patty-cake for Jesus and be saved or reach this world.

The devil is our arch nemesis and he is waging an all-out war to:

Steal, kill and destroy

When it comes to training in the Spirit for the ultimate race of life the church is obese from sitting on the sidelines. We have become couch potatoes because we have grown lazy in the Spirit.

IT'S TIME TO FIGHT MY BROTHER!

IT'S TIME TO FIGHT MY SISTER!

I plan to win. In the race that counts there is no second place. There is not a silver or bronze medal.

Have you ever heard of:

Andreas Kloden - Germany - 2004 -2nd Place -Tour de France

Jan Ullrich - Germany - 2003 - 2nd Place - Tour de France

Joseba Beloki - Spain - 2002 - 2nd Place - Tour de France

How about:

Lance Armstrong - USA - Won the last 6 Tour de France races

Have you ever heard of:
John Landy

How about:

Roger Bannister

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man in history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Within 2 months, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. On August 7 1954, the two met together for a historic race. As they moved into the last lap, Landy held the lead. It looked as if he would win, but as he neared the finish he was haunted by the question, "Where is Bannister?" As he turned to look, Bannister took the lead. Landy later told a Time magazine reporter, "If I hadn't looked back, I would have won!"

The Tour De France, is a 2,126 mile bicycle race through the country of France, conducted in twenty stages over a period of three weeks, an average of over a hundred miles a day. Just for comparison, that's about the same as riding a bicycle from Morgantown, WV all the way to Miami, Florida, and then back again. The race includes a bit of everything: all-out sprints; long days traveling through the French countryside; agonizing climbs over the Pyrenees mountains; and then terrifying descents from those same mountains, in which the cyclists reach speeds of over 70 miles an hour. The athletes have to contend with all kinds of hazards: narrow streets, blown tires - even small children darting out into the road. And they ride in all kinds of conditions: heat, wind, rain, even hail. In short, it is one of the most grueling athletic contests ever devised by man.

The Tour De France is a lot like our lives. At times our days feel like a sprint, and at others they seem more like a long, slow, painful climb up a mountain. At various times, they can be exhausting or exhilarating; tedious or full of surprises. They can be full of hope and joy, and also discouragement and suffering.

But there is one important difference. In the Tour De France, there will be only one winner, only one man who can stand at the finish wearing the yellow jersey.

But in life, every one of us has the potential to win the race; every one of us can receive the victor's crown and hear the words of our Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant." And that's what we all want, isn't it? To please God and receive His praise? Listen to the apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 9
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. NIV

The Christian life is similar to running a footrace.

I Cor. 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

II Tim. 4:7 "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

To most people, long distance running is running a mile. But that's child's play.

Running a mile is just warming up.

Of course, in the Olympics we have all kinds of distances for running. There are the sprinters who run the 100 meters, 200, 400, 800. There are the milers, the 5k runners, the 10k runners and there are the marathoners who run 26:2 miles.

The Christian life is more like the marathon race. It's a long race. A hard race. And it's one thing to enter a marathon but it's another thing to finish the race. And there are many people who jump on the Jesus' bandwagon but never finish the race. There are many people who walk the church aisle, confess their faith and are baptized into Christ but eventually they drop out of the race for one reason or another.

In marathon running there is what is called "hitting the wall." And that's when the runner basically runs out of gas. And life is full of "hitting the wall" experiences: death, divorce, disasters.

The Christian life is a tough act. Life is a tough act. WE NEED TO GIVE Support TO ONE ANOTHER AS BEST WE CAN, NOT THE LEAST WE CAN!

ILL.- In the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Steven Akhwari of Tanzania fell during the marathon. Bloody and limping, he entered the stadium so far behind that only a few thousand spectators remained. He was asked by reporters why he continued to run. Akhwari said, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me to finish the race."

Let's set our minds and hearts on finishing the race and helping all others to finish as well.

1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, when Dan Gable, wrestler from Iowa State University, won the gold medal. He never lost a match. I know one reason why. In preparation for the Olympics he worked out 8 hours a day. He lifted weights, he ran, he wrestled, you name it and he did it in order to improve his wrestling. He was in tip-top shape. He did his homework. He trained hard.

The first principle of running well. Training. In every other area of life, we accept the fact that we must train in order to do something well. If you want to become skilled in medicine, or law, or computer programming, or carpentry, or preaching, or anything else, you have to prepare yourself through discipline and study, perhaps years of it.

And the same is true when it comes to the practice of Christianity. Becoming spiritually mature; gaining wisdom; discovering and developing our gifts for ministry - these things all require sustained, intentional effort. That's just the way it works. If we want to grow in Christ, we have to discipline ourselves. We have to pray, and read, and study, and labor to put our faith into practice. Paul, in this passage, uses the example of an athlete in training because of the intense commitment that athletes need in order to win.

They give themselves completely to their sport, training their minds and bodies for excellence. And his point is this: If they are so dedicated and determined; if they are so willing to sacrifice and suffer, when all they are striving after is a little tin trophy, or a yellow jersey, or a few moments of glory - things that last for only a moment - shouldn't we be just as dedicated and determined in seeking after Christ? Isn't an eternal weight of glory worth far more than a gold medal or a Super Bowl ring?

"I wish I had a prayer life them!"

"I wish I knew the Bible like them!"

"I wish I was used of God like them!"

What's your problem? It's up to you.

I can personally tell you of many, many middle of the night times of studying and memorizing scriptures. When everyone else was out enjoying activities I was spending time seeking the Lord and studying the scriptures. It all depends on what you want.

Lance Armstrong's single-minded devotion to training; his willingness to suffer physically, to push his mind and body to their absolute limit, in the pursuit of athletic victory. That's really been the key to his success. Listen to this passage, which describes his preparations for the 1999 Tour De France:

"I went back to training. I rode, and I rode, and I rode. I rode like I had never ridden, punishing my body up and down every hill I could find. . . . I remember one day in particular, May 3, a raw European spring day, biting cold. I steered my bike into the Alps, with Johan following in a car. By now it was sleeting and 32 degrees. I didn't care. We stood at the roadside and looked at the view and the weather, and Johan suggested that we skip it. I said, "No. Let's do it." I rode for seven straight hours, alone. To win the Tour I had to be willing to ride when no one else would ride." - It's Not About the Bike, pp. 221-222

Riding a bicycle up a mountain, alone, in the freezing rain, for seven straight hours, is commitment. Lance was willing to undergo any amount of suffering, any amount of physical and mental punishment, in order to win a bike race.

Sometimes you have to run the race alone but don't give up.

THERE IS NO SECOND PLACE FINISHERS IN THE RACE THAT COUNTS!