Monday, 9 December 2019

Don't you know?

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Question of the day: Paul (the writer of our text today) asks the question ... 1 Corinthians 9:24a "Don't you know that in a stadium the runners all run, but one receives the prize?" Let's examine the question.

Answer: The second part of the same verse gives us some of the answer. 1 Corinthians 9:24b "Run in such a way that you may win!"

We are not in competition with each other. Our competition is within ourselves. We are called to mature (grow in the Lord). A mature diet consists of the "meat" of the Word as we grow beyond "milk."

One key to running a race is not to stumble. Even worse, there are those who cause others to stumble. It's also hard to run while under the influence.

Psalm 56:12, 14 "in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ... For You have delivered my soul from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life."

Paul saw his own situation clearly. He also saw our situation is like his, so he wrote this for himself and for us.

Philippians 3:13-14 "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself as having taken hold of this. But this one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for the reward of the upward calling of God in Messiah Yeshua."

Blessings. R. Michael.