Pursuing His Will

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” – 1 Corinthians 9: 24

I have heard so many people say before, “Run the race set before you,” or “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” These statements are motivational statements that I have heard people say over the years of my life. They are not only motivational, but inspirational. For those who know me pretty well, you would know that I am not your average runner who just loves it so much that they enjoy puking their guts out. From my past experiences of running, which by the way I don’t have very many of, I have only came close to puking one time. Nobody enjoys this, and I certainly do not enjoy it myself, not just the puking, but the running part as well! But there is something to be said about both of these statements: when you are running out of gas and about to give up, when you hear these words, you finish strong.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, God’s word gives us a picture of what it is like to “run in such a way that you may win.” Notice in verse 24, this says that those who run in a race all run, but only ONE receives the prize. Just recently, I decided to watch the Olympics on the TV, and it just so happened that CBS was showing live coverage of the Running portion of the Olympics. So I watched as the track lanes were full of eager, crown-striving runners, who were prepared to receive their crown. ALL of the Olympic runners had one goal in mind: Get to the Crown. That was going through each runners mind. They all had the same goal, and all were very eager for the crown. The horn goes off and everyone runs their hardest to win the prize. But, as 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, only ONE receives the prize. The Olympic runners run their best, but only one of the men wins his well earned prize because he knew that his goal was achievable.

This is a very good picture of this passage. Here we have an Olympic runner, and against all other runners, he runs in such a way that he may win. He knew exactly what to do and how to do it. He knew that if he quit, he would never reach his crown. But he didn’t, thus his reward was met in full.

1 Corinthians 9: 26-27, says this:

•  “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way as not beating air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Notice that the text says “I run as not without aim.” Having aim when running is the same as having a goal. That goal for every runner, is the crown. The text also says “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that I will not be disqualified.” I am sure that all competitive runners have to discipline their bodies in order to win the crown. I certainly know that if I want to get better at running, it is going to take discipline! So, disciplining your body so that you can run the race in such a way that you win is crucial. If that Olympic runner had not disciplined his body and make it his slave, he would have never reached his prize.

Strive for a Crown in everything that you do. Weather that be in running, boxing, worshiping, welding, singing, sewing or anything else you do in all of life. Always strive for the crown, discipline your body, and never quit, until you reach your coveted crown.

Blessings,

Wayde