Running a Race

1 Corintians 9:24-27 - "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all thing. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, myself should be a castaway."

The Olympics just ended about a week ago. In Wednesday night youth group last Wednesday, our leader, Jeff, showed us this passage of Scripture. Even before Christ, the Olympics started in Greece. In these verses it is talking about running a race. Verse 25 talks about how there is one prize. When running an earthly race, the prize is corruptible, meaning that it will not last forever. When running the race for Christ we are winning prizes, but those prized are eternal and set up in Heaven for us. Verse 26 says, "So I fight, not as one that beateth the air." Here it is referring to fighting not just air practicing [this reminded me of Wii] but actually fighting to win and pushing forward. And finally verse 27 talks about keeping under my body and bringing it into subjection. This is referring to having self-control and making your body do what you want it to. Most times we just want to lay around and be lazy, but here it is talking about making ourselves do what we need to. The final phrase is, "lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." This refers to doing what you preach. If you tell others about Christ and that as a Christian you are to be like Christ, and then go off and do wrong, you are as a castaway, or disqualified from the race.

Hope you all enjoyed that!

-Emily