1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Do you like to run? People who are avid runners get to a point in their regime when they acquire a natural high. These athletes push themselves until they reach this stage and endorphins take over and the run becomes energizing, fun even. I am not speaking from experience, I have been told this by those who use this discipline to accomplish a level of physical fitness I could only dream of attaining.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)

Discipline is a key word in today's scriptures.  Discipline is also a word that is a struggle for me.  I would love to be disciplined in my eating habits, in my journal entries, my Bible reading and in my life in general.  Paul is trying to teach the people of Corinth to exercise discipline in everyday living.  He uses the familiar example of runners to make his point.  

The goal is to win, to win the prize and not be disqualified in the process.  We must train and strain to attain the reward.  When we cross the finish line and break through the tape stretched across our path, the prize is life with Jesus.

Read the 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 text here.  Listen to an audio reading of 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 here.