The Summer Olympics have begun and most of the world will spend the next several days watching some of the most dedicated and well-trained athletes on the face of the planet. Years of training, sacrifice, and determination have gone into the few moments that will decide who is fastest, strongest, and most-skilled. Watching Olympic athletes often compete inspires us “normal” folk. These men & women do what they do because inside each one lies a deep passion that has driven them to this moment.
Whle watching these amazing athletes, we should know be reminded that as followers of Christ we too are athletes, however, our sport of choice is significantly different.
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.
Everyone 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. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, 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.
Paul encourages us here to live and train as the Olympic athletes do, but with a different goal in mind.
If an athlete has any hope of winning the coveted gold medal, he or she must put in the dedication & training necessary. This often entails sacrifice, suffering, and even pain. But, the reward is far greater than the sacrifice.
May we be reminded, during these games, that, if we are to have any hope of being awarded the “crown that will last forever” we too must put in the necessary dedication & ”strict training.”
…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. - 1 Timothy 4:7-8
Related: pray for the persecuted Christian church in China
Tags: china, olympics, spiritual discipline, training
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