Press on to Win the Prize
OCTOBER 6
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
Everybody knows that a runner is going to win or lose primarily by his endurance. When it hurts, you cannot quit. When your lungs are on fire, you cannot quit. When your feet are like lead, you cannot quit. When your sides ache, you cannot quit! When your head throbs, you cannot quit!
You can tell the size of a Christian by what it takes to stop him. I'm amazed at how some weak-kneed soldiers fall away. How little it takes to stop some people!
You'll never be a spiritual athlete if you're a quitter! You must “run with endurance the race that is set before you.” There must be determination! This thing of being a Christian is not a Sunday afternoon stroll.
Every great athlete is possessed with a desire to win. I look sometimes at the Olympics and watch some of these young people as they've trained. I watch the swimmers and the runners, and sometimes tears come to my eyes. I say, "Oh, God! I want to be that kind of a Christian! I want to live in the spiritual realm the way these are willing to live in the physical realm!" They are people possessed! But not so for so many Christians.
If we are to possess the desire to win, it first must possess us. This matter of being saved, of leading others to Jesus Christ, is a full‑time occupation. We must pray over it. Weep over it. Study over it. Work over it!
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
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