July 18, 2018
In a race all the
runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the
prize. 1Cor 9:24
Instead of watching
other runners, work to finish well our own race.
It’s amazing how quickly everything can turn into a
competition.
As a guy who grew up in athletics, it’s easy to turn every
activity into a competition, whether it is a sport, or a hobby, or even a
conversation. One-upping the other males
in the room is common. Even when nobody
is around, there can be a competition going on with ourselves sometimes –
trying to get better than the last time.
Part of that striving to improve is healthy, but it often gets
interlaced with comparing ourselves to others.
But over the years, I’ve discovered this is not a male
athlete thing. I’ve watched women do the same thing in comparing
their houses, husbands, body-shapes, and lifestyles, turning them into a
competitive private battle. I’ve seen
even little children compete for the attention or approval of a parent. Certainly businesses have invested mega-bucks
in trying to outwit their competition, and countries have done the same. It may not be on an athletic field, where
runs or touchdowns or goals measure success, but there is certainly a lot of
comparison and competition happening every day.
Paul didn’t condemn the race, he just taught us to change
the comparison. Instead of comparing
ourselves with others, compare ourselves with ourselves. And instead of looking at improving from our
past, look to become what God designed us to become. Then the comparison will have both compassion
and conviction. We’ll continue to run
the race, but at the pace God designed us to run. And the prize at the end will be the Well Done Jesus had promised us, no
matter what the results look like compared to others.
That’s easier said than done. It takes some training and practice. We’ll make mistakes in starting out to fast
or taking too many breaks. Sometimes
we’ll fall or slip up, and need correction.
Keep running!
Paul said only one gets the prize, which sounds like we need
to compete to beat out the next person.
But in the spiritual realm, YOU are the only person that can win the
prize assigned to you! And unlike the
culture today that wants everyone to get the same trophy, this prize is custom
made for YOU. You cannot win someone
else’s prize, and they cannot win yours.
So run in such a way as to win your prize.
So stop trying to be like your neighbor, or better than your
brother, or more successful than the other leader. Start running the race you’ve been given, and
run it the best you are designed to run it.
Don’t compete with your past, but pursue your best. And cross the finish line marked out for you.
That’s a race worth running, and a prize worth winning.
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