1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
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 someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Many people take this paragraph by itself and see in it a need to practice physical and spiritual disciplines to ensure our spiritual health. But the context in which Paul is writing is entirely different than that.
Paul is still speaking of his primary calling, indeed the primary calling of all Christians at all times: making disciples, starting with showing people clearly the way into the salvation through faith in Jesus, and doing whatever it takes to grow God’s kingdom every day.
Paul’s point is that he is in no way casual about doing this work. Instead, he is as focused as a star athlete running a race. Even when he is not actively “on the job”, sharing the amazing good news of Jesus with someone, he is like an athlete in training.
An athlete eats carefully so as to provide the highest quality fuel for their bodies when the race day arrives. Paul continually feeds his soul with the highest quality of input: time with God, reading Scripture, participating in uplifting fellowship, and reading and meditating on other literature that will help him when he does share with others.
An athlete rarely just sits. He or she is always thinking about previous races and analyzing anything that might have slowed them down or prevented them from doing their best. Paul consistently thought about approaches he had used that were successful, and those that were not, and honing his words and actions so that he was continually improving.
Remember that for Paul, preaching the gospel and saving souls was not a pastime, but his very reason for exiting, the work to which God had called him. So, he felt the need to constantly hone his skills an improve his work, so that when he showed up at God’s throne, he would never have to be ashamed of souls that were not saved due to sloppy work, careless presentations, or inattention. He could be absolutely sure that he had run the race so as to win the prize, and that the victor’s crown of glory would be his ( 2 Timothy 4:6-8).
Father, it is so easy to receive Jesus, “get saved”, and then go on with our lives, never thinking about the ramifications on our priorities, agendas, and plans that the decision to follow Jesus and to yield our whole lives to Your control entail. But when we come to Jesus, it necessarily changes everything. Jesus himself warned those who wanted to follow Him to carefully weigh the high cost involved, and to not even start if the cost seemed too steep (Luke 14:25-33). Jesus demands that our whole life be immediately submitted to his agenda, in which saving souls, bringing people into the kingdom and helping them to grow and mature steadily into Christlike disciples, is right at the top. Paul is not urging us to merely participate in spiritual disciplines, but to make Jesus’ priorities and purposes ours as well, and to do that work with all the focus and discipline with which a professional athlete plies his trade. What a difference from the way we not only understand what is required of us, but what we teach others as well. Lord, help me to do better in both areas, starting right now! Amen.