1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
25: Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26: Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
27: but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

*** 

Run with winning in mind. For some reason there are Christians who think it's “unspiritual” to have disciplined or scheduled prayer and study times. They think that putting intentional time and effort into learning, or gaining knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures, is not as good as the occasional goosebump times of inspired revelation. Both are needed. We don’t control the times we feel goosebumps, but we can control what we do with our time.

If you wanted to compete in the Olympics, you wouldn’t wait until you felt inspired to train. If you were studying for your doctorate, you wouldn’t throw together a thesis in a day. You would put daily, intense, scheduled, and sacrificial time and effort into preparing for the big day. In the same way, we are to view our Christian walk as a period of intense training. We want to win the prize—the gold medal. To do so requires conscious, intentional, and disciplined effort on our part. We can’t wait until we feel “led” or inspired to pray or read the Bible. I know it sounds dry, but it's absolutely not.

If you’re learning to play an instrument, don’t you practice daily, or even several times a day? It's not enough to read the Bible, you must study it. Study until you understand it. Speak it. Talk about it. Ponder and meditate on it. Paul said he did this—lived intentionally and sacrificially—so that after he had preached to others, he himself would not be disqualified. There were many Jews, unfortunately, who even though they were entrusted with the oracles of God, didn’t believe when the Promised One came. Let’s not be a Christian in title only, but one who truly does what it takes to walk the walk.



See also Hebrews 12:1-2, 2 Timothy 2:15, Matthew 13:23, Joshua 1:8, Deuteronomy 18:21

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