Aug112008
Athletes of God
Filed under Reflections, Spiritual Disciplines by Paul at 11:36 am on Aug 11 2008
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.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
1 Steveon 11 Aug 2008 at 3:39 pm
We need to remember that the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. Training in the Christian life goes on everyday. The Olympic games will be over before we know it. Our lives will also be over before we know it, and we will stand before the Judge who sees deep into our hearts and knows our motives.
Therefore, let us run the race with peservance that is marked out before us, and let us keep our eyes on Jesus, for He is not only our Treasure, but worth more than all the gold medals in all the Olympic games.
2 Paulon 12 Aug 2008 at 9:35 am
Endurance is such a key part of the Christian “marathon”. We can get tired, feel broken, or even get lazy. But as Eugene Peterson puts it, it is meant to be a “long obedience in the same direction”. So a question to consider is how do we endure when things get tough and how do we endure when things seem to be smooth sailing?
3 Steveon 12 Aug 2008 at 3:43 pm
I think we endure through prayer and keeping our focus on
Jesus. It also helps to keep in the Word. In Philippians 4, Paul talks about being well fed and being hungry; living in prosperity and poverty. He learned the secret of contentment, and that was doing all things through Christ who gives us strength. I think that is how we endure