With the beginning of the Olympics
this last week, I am once again made aware of all the amazing stories of
sacrifice and competition the games continue to showcase to the world. As a
child my parents would allow us to stay up a little later than usual to catch a
glimpse of the fierce competition and national pageantry. So many stories of
inspiration have been highlighted by the games over the years. Perhaps you have
heard a preacher or two talk about Eric Liddell. Eric was a sprinter for Great
Britain, as well as a devout Christian, who ran in the Paris Games of 1924.
Under his own conviction, he decided to sit out the 100 meters, his best race,
because it was held on a Sunday and he believed it wrong for him to run.
Because of
this, he would have to compete in the 400 meters where his shortest time,
compared to the other athletes, was considered average at best. But that
morning as he approached the starting blocks, an American slipped a piece of paper into his hand with a quotation
from 1 Samuel 2:30: "Those who honor me I will honor.” Having
qualified for the outside lane he was unable to see the other runners as he
sprinted for the first 200 meters. Inspired by the paper in his hand he
completed the usually paced run, as a sprint, breaking the world record and
capturing the gold medal.
As I watch
these athletes night after night, I wonder about their motivation. What get’s
them up early every morning to push their bodies to limits most of us can only
dream? What type of person trains their whole life at one particular movement
or sport for a chance to compete in a contest held once every four years? Why
would an individual sacrifice hours and hours each day for just a chance to
stand on a podium with a medal for no more than two minutes?
I’ll tell
you what kind of person- a person who loves their sport- a person who would probably
play their sport even if they weren’t Olympians. A person whom, having loved
their sport, also longs for greatness and considers the journey part of the
prize, even though it can’t compare.
In his
letter to the Corinthians, Paul sees a correlation between the Christian life
and sports. He states:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one
receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete
exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath,
but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as
one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under
control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
One of the ways that a Christian runs with self-control is by setting
aside a time for prayer each day. Prayer connects us to God, focusing our attention
and fueling our journey as we press on to the prize for which we are called.
Will you pray with me today as we follow hard after God?
Pastor John
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