Have you ever seen, or heard, an interview of an Olympian that has just won the gold medal and they talk about how hard they have pushed themselves to be able to win? Some have said that they have ran to the point where they were beginning to lose consciousness, and many of them talk about how they trained until they threw up. They did all of this, just so that they would be able to win in their sport. They gave it their all so that they would be able to get that medal.
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:24ff, makes a reference to how some runners run in their race so that they win a crown that perishes, one that won’t last, but the Christian runs in their race for a crown that will last forever. As we think about how we are running our spiritual race, it is good to go back and ask ourselves if we have given all that we have. Again, just backing up a few verses in verse 19 through 23, Paul demonstrates that he did all that he could just to win some. This is just with evangelism. How many other opportunities have we been blessed with to serve God more? Have we given it our all?
Joshua Schutkowski