Just a short sharing!
I do not profess to be a true-blue athelete but I am pretty much into sports, running and table-tennis in particular. These verses reminded me of the days when tough trainings had once been a part of my daily routine.
For others, it might not have been sports, it might well be acadamic studies. In fact, all things we do should be for the glory of God and in the process of doing certain tasks well, it requires a certain level of discipline.
Paul was making a parallel between our Christian walk to that of an endurance race. In verse 25, it was mentioned that atheletes exercise self control in all things. This, I suppose, encompasses an athelete's diet and training schedule.
Besides having a to-do list, there will also be a whole list of things NOT to do. Adhering to a strict regime is of utmost importance to be in optimum condition and acheive peak performance during the actual competitions.
From a book I've read, in the Greek culture, young men had races and played games, hoping to win a prize. To win the race, one had to be willing to work hard and make many sacrifices in order to win the race. At the end of the day, the winners will don on a wreath (crown made of grass and flowers) in celebration of their victory.
Winning the crown was a great honour but this crown was all but a perishable one made of grass and flowers. As Christians, we are challenged to run the Christian race in a disciplined manner.
With these verses, let us all be reminded to strive towards winning a crown which our Lord Jesus will give....
One that is imperishable... and lasts forever... AMEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment