1 Corinthians 9:25-28
New King James Version (NKJV)
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.But I discipline my body and bring into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
For the past few months I have been slowly prepping for my 2nd degree black belt test. This time of year is always hard, because first I have NO idea when the test will be, sometime in the fall, which means I need to be ready anytime between September and November, and secondly with all the training comes a multitude of bruises and general muscle soreness from overuse. Not to mention the extra time that is put in during preparation. But knowing that there is in fact a goal at the end, and working hard for something that I will soon be able to obtain makes everything worthwhile.
I believe this is a small picture of the idea that Paul was hoping to convey to us in 1 Corinthians 9:27. First, we need to be prepared at all times.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect
I have always enjoyed that verse in Corinthians the image of the fighter beating the air reminds me of a story that I heard from one of my Taekwondo instructors. He was out on a date with his wife and a man confronted them for money, he was an excellent martial artist, his kicks were so high and powerful, but he had hardly trained with any real contact, choosing instead to always fight in non-contact sparring, so when this man came towards him for money, instead of being able to fight him off, he placed 5 or 6 kicks right at the assailants face, but not one of them made any real contact. The attacker simply punched him in the face and took his wallet. After that this martial artist started training with renewed vigor, going to full contact sparring and making sure he knew the practical application for everything that he did. He was no longer just ‘beating the air.’ What stumped me on this verse was how do we make sure that we no longer are just spiritually beating the air?
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Ephesians 6: 10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
To be prepared, we must first realize that there is an imperishable goal that we are striving for We are not just walking along with no end in sight, and the finish line is where the judges are. So we are not to become weary in doing good. When we cross the finish line we want to hear Jesus say “Well done good and faithful servant.” Not “Well run, I’m glad you had a good time” but “Well done.” When we keep our mind on the final prize, it helps make the walk easier.
The second thing we must do is pick ourselves back up if we fall. If something happens that hinders us, we cannot just give up and think that we gave it the old college try. We have to push onward, regardless of how many times we have to pick our battered bruised spirit up out of the muck we pushed it into.
Until next time: The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord be gracious to you, make His face shine upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
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