“The Athletes”
Friday, November 15, 2024Key Verse
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” 1 Corinthians 9:24
Text — 1Corinthians 9:24-27
Message
Apostle Paul uses runners in the Greek games as examples of how we are to live as friends of Jesus. The first thing to notice is the tension, energy and serious effort put in by athletes struggling for the finish line with the hope of winning. To win requires steady, intense concen tration or focus of the runners. They cannot afford to become distracted by anything, if they do, they will miss the mark.
An athlete religiously follows a rigorous program schedule each day: He rises at a certain hour, eats break fast of certain foods, fills his morning with exercises and works on his technique. After a planned lunch, he continues training, eats a third planned meal and goes to bed at a specified hour. Throughout, the athlete must also abstain from many legitimate things that simply do not fit into his programme. An athlete who is serious about excelling in his chosen sport must live this way. You can be disciplined like the athlete and avoid any obstacle on your way to running the Christian race to the end and also achieving academic success.
Further Reading
2Timothy 2:1-5
Prayer for today
Lord, help me to run the Christian race to the end.
About Author - Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
