1 Corinthians 9:24-25
"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize."
All the physical training is great or all the knowledge we get for our job, but we must realize the best way to develop our faith and live in the joy God promises is to train our mind and our heart for spiritual battle. Nothing we do should be more exciting than opening God's word and seeking wisdom from it. When we open it, it transforms our thinking and it shows us how to live, act, and deal with life. The elite athletes have to work incredibly hard to develop the talent they have. Great scholars study and practice their trade over and over again so they can come up with the next big invention or fad. Doctors, well no one would go to a doctor that barely did any work in his/her field and was thought of as lazy or someone who just did enough.
If this is the case why do we not do our best to become who God has created us to be? With all those other things or jobs the people doing them are already elite and at the top of their game, they continue to grow because there are people that are working on being better than they are. With God's will, we don't have to be the elite, as we seek we will find and as we ask we will receive, anyone who desires it gets it. Paul says in verse 26, "So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing." Their is purpose for Paul and what he is doing and we are given a purpose as well; the great commission. Matthew chapter 28 verses 19-20 says, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
We are called to do something with our "free gift" not just sit back and watch. Some people will be able to be pro athletes or doctors or chemist but we all can be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ and do what Jesus shows us in the Word. Paul continues in verse 27 by saying, "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." We can't get caught up in everything in life without realizing the best guide and training comes from the Lord and as we study it God will transform us into His image and we can make a difference for the Kingdom of God. Amen
1 Comment
Todd Brenna
9/30/2014 01:25:37 am
So true thank you Keith. Your blog today is something I needed to read and apply.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
Books to Read: |