You can’t be serious! “Oh, but I am” you say? Well, let’s just see how serious you really are. The Apostle Paul gives us a glimpse into how serious he was about living the Christian life when he said in 1 Cor. 9:26, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:”
The word “uncertainly” means Paul had a clear understanding of the Christian life and what he was up against. He was determined to be a winner and win the prize. Many Christians do not seem to have this understanding.
Imagine an Olympic athlete showing up to compete and he hadn’t even bothered to train. He would be a disgrace to his team and to his country. Many Christians have become a disgrace to their church AND to the LORD
Why? Because they have a casual, indifferent, lackadaisical attitude toward the Christian life. A true athlete’s attention is focused on one thing – WINNING! He is not focused on the cheerleaders. He is not focused on the crowd and he is not focused on the cameras.
What Paul was trying to convey to the believers at Corinth is true, today, as well. Christians, today, are too easily distracted. A rainy day is all it takes to keep some home from church. A concert, their child’s ball game, or a chance to go fishing is all it takes to divert their attention from what really counts.
Why? Paul said it is because they are not in the race to win. All they are doing is playing games. Paul said, “I am not playing games, here. I am in this race to win it. I am in the ring fighting the enemy with all I’ve got!”
Why should we give everything we’ve got? Because there are eternal rewards at stake! Paul reminded them in (v.25) “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
He said that when an athlete strives to master his event, he is going to be “temperate in all things.” That means he will exercise some self-control and restraint in every area of his life so that he might be the best he can be.
The trouble is, many believers exercise very little restraint in their Christian life. The first desire that pops into their head is what they follow after. Why? Because they have quit striving for the mastery. They are not interested in running an effective race. They are not interested in winning any prizes. They have become more consumed with having a “corruptible crown” today than striving for an “incorruptible” crown later.
So, are you really serious? Are you IN it to WIN it? If not, get back in the race, today. After all, the Christian life is not a spectator sport!