In 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27, Paul compares the Christian walk to a race. In some races one may have to walk or crawl in order to finish. The most important thing is to finish. It is interesting that in most track and field competitions, the short sprints have the most participants. Like anything you commit to you must have endurance. Sprint races do not require the amount of endurance that distance races do. In the chapter and verse mentioned above, there was an athletic competition that the Corinthians participated in that was equivalent to the Olympics. The highlight of the games was a great endurance race. Contestants had to endure 10 months of hard mandatory training in order to compete. Anyone who failed to complete the training was barred from the competition. The race we prepare for is the "calling of God." How we treat the call of God determines the crown or prize for service. We can't assume that we will automatically endure to the end of the race. We must continue to discipline ourselves to fight and follow the calling of God. There are 5 characteristics that must be a part of our life if we are going to endure to the end successfully and win the prize:
1. Have dedication to succeed no matter what
2. We must have a passion for the game
3. We must have a willingness to train
4. We must have relentless determination
5. We must have a burning desire for the prize
Our level of commitment determines our level of success. Be encouraged and we love you.
Pastor Hines
