Issue 2010 #1
Table of Contents:
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Run to Get the Prize
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it." (1 Corinthians 9:24 NKJV) Two very important differences must be recognized between the athletic race and the Christian race.
Athletics involves competition with others, to win by defeating another in the pursuit to victory. Athletic competition is comparison with others. It seems to be the same in politics. Winning is equated with worth, and the value of an athlete is evaluated in terms of others.
Such comparison is spiritual suicide for the Christian. A legalist will use the sins of an erring brother to make himself look good. A legalist rejoicing when a brother falls, often gives the matter wide publicity because then he can boast about his own goodness. Christian love would lead us not to expose a brother's failures or weaknesses, no matter how much better it would make us look.
Above, Paul was not thinking of competition with others, nor comparison with others, but rather a commitment to spiritual excellence.
With the World Olympics in Canada this year we will see and hear of intense determination and commitment. Remember Bobby Baun, carried off the ice with a broken leg in a Stanley Cup playoff game, only to return in overtime to score the winning goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs? There is something about athletic competition that calls out the best that an individual can give.
That is one reason why in the New Testament one of the most common illustrations of the Christian life is the athletic life. Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us...." As the world watches how Christians live it demands the very best we can give with an intense determination and commitment. The reward for a Christian is far more significant than an Olympic gold medal, a championship ring or an inscription on the Grey Cup or Stanley Cup.
The Christian race is not a short sprint. It is a marathon. The dictionary says that a marathon is a foot race of at least 26 miles. It is a long distance endurance contest. To qualify for the Christian marathon you must accept the invitation in John 1:12. We are not running a race to get to Heaven, but we are running a race for a reward for Christian service.
Frank Eidse
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