What’s Better Than A Gold Medal?
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. 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. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:19-27)
Since the Olympics are on everyone’s mind these days, I thought it might be interesting to ask some Olympic Trivia questions. You’ll find the answers to the questions at the bottom of the article. (no peeking!)
1. How many Olympians are in competition in Beijing?
A. 3,726 B. 7,400 C. 10,5002.
2. How many women competed in the second Olympiad in 1900?
A. 19 B. 36 C. 573.
3. Which event was NEVER an Olympic sport?
A. Chess B. Power-boating C. Tug-of-War
4. What was the first Olympic event in which a woman participated?
A. Tennis B. Croquet C. Equestrian
5. In what sport were all three medals won by U.S. Women in 1900?
A. Swimming B. Tennis C. Golf
(If you got all five correct – award yourself a gold medal!)
When the 29th Olympic Games were launched in China, they started with the explosion of 29 giant footstep-shaped fireworks in sequence from Tiananmen Square to the Olympic Stadium – signifying the long difficult journey many of the athletes had traveled in order to finally arrive in China to compete. Likewise the race every Christian runs can at times seem long and arduous. Paul reminds us in the passage above how each one of us can finish as a victor in our individual races.
Maintain Focus: “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.” Just as the athlete keeps focused on the prize for winning the competition, Paul kept focused on his heavenly goal of eternal life. Paul says, when I’m running in a race, I need to keep focused on the course. If I start running backwards or in circles or in a completely different direction from the other runners, what will happen? Clearly I won’t win the race, and I’ll end up wasting time and energy going in the wrong direction. The same principle applies if I were in a boxing match. If I just keep throwing punches not concerned about whether they actually hit my opponent or not – do you know what would happen? Before long, I’m going to wear out and my opponent is most likely going to knock me down and eventually knock me out! When you’re in a ring with an opponent who is bent on knocking you out, it’s no time for shadow boxing. You better stay focused on the issue at hand. If you want to finish as a victor in your walk with Christ, maintain your focus!
Remember the Reward: Paul says, “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Once the athlete knows the prize he longs to win, he begins training and preparing himself for the day of competition. While others are out partying and eating hot-fudge sundaes, serious athletes are working out. Athletes train their bodies to compete. If an athlete expects to excel, he voluntarily and often severely restricts his liberty. His sleep, his diet, and his exercise are not determined by his rights or by his feelings, but by the requirements of his training. Now where does the motivation come from to lead a disciplined life? The motivation comes from the reward of winning the competition.
Now Catch This: The greater the reward – the greater the motivation. What causes an Olympian athlete to spend 4 years in training to run in a race? He/she is motivated by the vision of standing on a platform and having the entire world admire them. That one brief moment in the spotlight is what makes all the pain, and sacrifice worth it. Here’s what Paul is saying; Remember that as you walk with Jesus, the crown that awaits you is eternal – not temporal. We often are not self-disciplined because we are not motivated. We are not motivated because we forget what awaits us. Remember that we are not striving to win something perishable like a gold medal. God is going to give us something better than a gold medal - a crown of glory that will last forever! And it’s for everyone who crosses the finish line - no matter what place they finish! Remember your reward.
Practice Self-Discipline: “I beat my body and make it my slave…” There are days when the athlete’s body is tired and sore, but he continues training. There are days when he doesn’t feel like training, but he does so anyway. There are days when he begins to doubt his ability to outperform the other competitors, but he keeps on training. Many people, instead of keeping their bodies under control, live as slaves to their bodies. Their bodies tell their minds what to do. Their bodies decide when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, when to sleep and so on. An athlete cannot allow that. He follows the training rules, not his body. He runs when he would rather be resting, he eats a balanced meal when he would rather have a chocolate sundae. He goes to bed when he would rather stay up. And he gets up early to train when he would rather stay in bed. An athlete leads his body, he does not follow it. How about you? Are you training your whole body? Have you presented your body to the Lord as a living sacrifices? Is your mind being renewed daily? If you want to finish as a victor – practice self-discipline.
In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City John Stephen Akhwari was running the marathon for his home country, Tanzania. Early on in the race he fell and badly injured his leg. But rather than dropping out, he pushed on. He entered the stadium in last place. The track was empty, because the other 56 runners had finished much earlier. His leg was bandaged and bleeding - yet Akhwari crossed the finish line with anguish on his face and tears in his eyes. After he hobbled across the finish line he was asked why he endured such pain when he had no chance of winning. He simply said, “My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish the race.”
The same is true for us. God doesn’t just call us just to start, but to finish. And He will be with you every step of the way providing the power and enablement you need until He gets you across the finish line. Take each step of your race dependant upon Him and you’ll be rewarded with something far better than gold.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
Answers to Trivia Questions:
1. The answer is C. 10,500 - This is the largest number of competitors in any Olympic game.
2. The answer is A. 19 - No women competed in the first ancient Olympics or in the first modern games in 1896.
3. The answer is A. Chess has never been an Olympic competition, but power-boating and tug-of-war have been sanctioned events.
4. The answer is B. Croquet was an early event in the Paris Olympics of 1900 and a French woman competed against men. The French won all the medals because they were the only team competing. The croquet match had one spectator and was dropped after the Paris games.
5. The answer is C. Golf was an Olympic Sport in 1900 and 1904 but hasn’t been since that time.
Since the Olympics are on everyone’s mind these days, I thought it might be interesting to ask some Olympic Trivia questions. You’ll find the answers to the questions at the bottom of the article. (no peeking!)
1. How many Olympians are in competition in Beijing?
A. 3,726 B. 7,400 C. 10,5002.
2. How many women competed in the second Olympiad in 1900?
A. 19 B. 36 C. 573.
3. Which event was NEVER an Olympic sport?
A. Chess B. Power-boating C. Tug-of-War
4. What was the first Olympic event in which a woman participated?
A. Tennis B. Croquet C. Equestrian
5. In what sport were all three medals won by U.S. Women in 1900?
A. Swimming B. Tennis C. Golf
(If you got all five correct – award yourself a gold medal!)
When the 29th Olympic Games were launched in China, they started with the explosion of 29 giant footstep-shaped fireworks in sequence from Tiananmen Square to the Olympic Stadium – signifying the long difficult journey many of the athletes had traveled in order to finally arrive in China to compete. Likewise the race every Christian runs can at times seem long and arduous. Paul reminds us in the passage above how each one of us can finish as a victor in our individual races.
Maintain Focus: “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.” Just as the athlete keeps focused on the prize for winning the competition, Paul kept focused on his heavenly goal of eternal life. Paul says, when I’m running in a race, I need to keep focused on the course. If I start running backwards or in circles or in a completely different direction from the other runners, what will happen? Clearly I won’t win the race, and I’ll end up wasting time and energy going in the wrong direction. The same principle applies if I were in a boxing match. If I just keep throwing punches not concerned about whether they actually hit my opponent or not – do you know what would happen? Before long, I’m going to wear out and my opponent is most likely going to knock me down and eventually knock me out! When you’re in a ring with an opponent who is bent on knocking you out, it’s no time for shadow boxing. You better stay focused on the issue at hand. If you want to finish as a victor in your walk with Christ, maintain your focus!
Remember the Reward: Paul says, “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Once the athlete knows the prize he longs to win, he begins training and preparing himself for the day of competition. While others are out partying and eating hot-fudge sundaes, serious athletes are working out. Athletes train their bodies to compete. If an athlete expects to excel, he voluntarily and often severely restricts his liberty. His sleep, his diet, and his exercise are not determined by his rights or by his feelings, but by the requirements of his training. Now where does the motivation come from to lead a disciplined life? The motivation comes from the reward of winning the competition.
Now Catch This: The greater the reward – the greater the motivation. What causes an Olympian athlete to spend 4 years in training to run in a race? He/she is motivated by the vision of standing on a platform and having the entire world admire them. That one brief moment in the spotlight is what makes all the pain, and sacrifice worth it. Here’s what Paul is saying; Remember that as you walk with Jesus, the crown that awaits you is eternal – not temporal. We often are not self-disciplined because we are not motivated. We are not motivated because we forget what awaits us. Remember that we are not striving to win something perishable like a gold medal. God is going to give us something better than a gold medal - a crown of glory that will last forever! And it’s for everyone who crosses the finish line - no matter what place they finish! Remember your reward.
Practice Self-Discipline: “I beat my body and make it my slave…” There are days when the athlete’s body is tired and sore, but he continues training. There are days when he doesn’t feel like training, but he does so anyway. There are days when he begins to doubt his ability to outperform the other competitors, but he keeps on training. Many people, instead of keeping their bodies under control, live as slaves to their bodies. Their bodies tell their minds what to do. Their bodies decide when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, when to sleep and so on. An athlete cannot allow that. He follows the training rules, not his body. He runs when he would rather be resting, he eats a balanced meal when he would rather have a chocolate sundae. He goes to bed when he would rather stay up. And he gets up early to train when he would rather stay in bed. An athlete leads his body, he does not follow it. How about you? Are you training your whole body? Have you presented your body to the Lord as a living sacrifices? Is your mind being renewed daily? If you want to finish as a victor – practice self-discipline.
In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City John Stephen Akhwari was running the marathon for his home country, Tanzania. Early on in the race he fell and badly injured his leg. But rather than dropping out, he pushed on. He entered the stadium in last place. The track was empty, because the other 56 runners had finished much earlier. His leg was bandaged and bleeding - yet Akhwari crossed the finish line with anguish on his face and tears in his eyes. After he hobbled across the finish line he was asked why he endured such pain when he had no chance of winning. He simply said, “My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish the race.”
The same is true for us. God doesn’t just call us just to start, but to finish. And He will be with you every step of the way providing the power and enablement you need until He gets you across the finish line. Take each step of your race dependant upon Him and you’ll be rewarded with something far better than gold.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
Answers to Trivia Questions:
1. The answer is C. 10,500 - This is the largest number of competitors in any Olympic game.
2. The answer is A. 19 - No women competed in the first ancient Olympics or in the first modern games in 1896.
3. The answer is A. Chess has never been an Olympic competition, but power-boating and tug-of-war have been sanctioned events.
4. The answer is B. Croquet was an early event in the Paris Olympics of 1900 and a French woman competed against men. The French won all the medals because they were the only team competing. The croquet match had one spectator and was dropped after the Paris games.
5. The answer is C. Golf was an Olympic Sport in 1900 and 1904 but hasn’t been since that time.
posted by Larry | 11:43 AM
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