Competing Against Myself?!

I love to compete! Whether it be bowling, basketball, or even golf (at which I am not very good), I love competing for victory! It is this imagery that the apostle Paul uses to illustrate the disciplined Christian life in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. He clearly explains that he was competing for a prize; but he wasn’t running an athletic event for a physical crown, but running a spiritual race for an imperishable one! It was not the temporal that he was concerned with, but the eternal!

We find that Paul had an adversary in his race, his own body! It was his body that he fought, disciplined, and brought into subjection lest he should become disqualified and lose his reward. This word “disqualified” does not mean a loss of salvation, for we know that our salvation is “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13-14) and “kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5). Rather, it means to become disapproved. Paul was not willing to allow any desire or right of his “hinder the gospel of Christ” (9:12) and, therefore, displease his Lord and Master!

In verse 12 we see that Paul, though having every right to receive materially from the Corinthians for his spiritual labor, did not use that right but chose rather, to “endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ”. His reward was to preach the gospel without charge and not abuse his authority in the gospel. He gladly set aside the temporal gain for the eternal reward!

A missionary setting aside the comforts and securities of home to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to a foreign land; an elderly lady choosing to do without hot water and a daily paper that she might have more to give to the Lord’s work; a college student giving up his weekly trip to the golf course to spend that time teaching Backyard Bible Clubs in his neighborhood; a dentist who could make an abundance of money working forty hours a week, choosing rather to invest twenty of those hours ministering the gospel through dentistry to inner-city families - what a beautiful picture this is! The laying aside of rights, privileges, and material gain for the sake of the gospel!

Sadly, many are more concerned with the promotion of their standard of living, than they are standing and promoting the gospel of the living Christ! Money, time, and energy is funneled into the perishable “things” of their lives, rather than being deposited into the eternal work of the kingdom of God. May it not be said of us!

Scripture is clear: “if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5). The rule in 1 Corinthians 9:25 is, “everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things”. We must be temperate, self-controlled, and faithful in keeping our eyes off of the temporal if we are to receive the imperishable crown and full reward of pleasing our Savior!

Let us not become “entangled with the affairs of this life, that (we) may please Him who enlisted (us) as a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:4).