Running

“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.” I Corinthians 9:24-25

My swim season is officially over. Hard to believe that the year is flying by so quickly! I Corinthians 9:24-25 was our theme verse of the year…because running and swimming are so interchangeable. (haha). But looking at the verse again –it’s so applicable in all of life – not just sports.

Running to get the prize.

Olympic athlete’s crowns/medals will only last so long…but am I working for the prize that really matters?

Last night, I was reading All Things For Good by Thomas Watson, and was blown away by this section (now, keep in mind, this was first published in 1663):

“The wicked are swift…in sin. And do we creep like snails in religion? Shall impure sinners do the devil more service than we do Christ? Shall they make more haste to a prison, than we do to a kingdom? Are they ever weary of sinning and are we weary of praying? Have we not a better Master than they? Are not the paths of virtue pleasant? Is there not joy in the way of duty, and heaven at the end? The activity of the sons of Belial in sin is a spur to the godly to make them mend their pace, and run the faster to heaven.”

It is quite a shame when we portray the gospel…when we portray Christ…as something not worth our time and effort. When it seems to those watching us that Jesus isn't worth running after.

In the 2009 movie, To Save a Life, Jake looks around a youth group and asks them: “What’s the point of all this if you’re not going to let it change you?”

May we mend our pace. May we seek what really matters…not perishable things, such as silver or gold. May we RUN to Jesus.