In light of his discussion with the Corinthians about meat offered to idols, Paul gives this challenge to those believers in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: it's time to trim the fat off our Christian lives! It's time to get rid of things that hinder us. It's time to set aside anything that doesn't help us toward our goal."Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."
The goal, Paul says, is to win the prize. He says that while everybody runs, only one person wins; therefore, we must run to win. We need to get serious about our Christian lives. When I was younger, my sister and I used to "play church." One of us would lead singing and the other would give a testimony or preach or whatever. Unfortunately, I think some people are still "playing church." It's time to get serious.
The method for winning the prize is self-discipline. Every champion has to discipline himself. Professional athletes must spend countless hours working out, practicing, and exercising their bodies. They watch what they eat. They train hard. They work for years and years to achieve that one championship. They do all this for temporary fame, one moment of victory. We as Christians ought to discipline ourselves for eternal reward!
We have to think ahead a little. We can't just "live for the day." What we do affects the future, and we have to keep that in mind. But we also can't just live for "tomorrow." It isn't enough to think about future plans, career goals, or retirement. No, we need to do even better than that: we must live for eternity!
I try to discipline my thinking along these four lines: (1) People are more important than things. (2) Pleasing God is more important than pleasing self. (3) Serving others is more important than serving self. (4) Church, the local assembly of believers, is a priority.
Why should we do all this? Paul gives a warning: the threat of disqualification. Regarding his own spiritual life, he says, "I don't run halfheartedly; I don't punch wildly; I pin my body to the mat. Why? So I won't be disqualified." Frankly, when I read this, I get scared. If the apostle Paul was concerned about being disqualified, how much more so me?
We must remember that we are sowing for the future. There's an old saying that is very true: "Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a life." We have to keep in mind that our actions now will have consequences. We can scar our life permanently with sin. We could live a "Christian life" for years and in the end, by our lack of perseverance, demonstrate that we have never been saved.
Sobering stuff. It's time to start asking the hard questions in our lives: how does this help me become more like Jesus Christ? How does this glorify God? What eternal benefit is there in this activity or pastime? We have to run to win.
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