Go for the Gold

I have a confession to make: I’m an “Olympics junkie.” Yup, that’s right— now that the Olympics are over, I can get on with my life. It’s a good thing the Olympics only come around every four years or so! For whatever reason, I can just get totally into watching some athlete I’ve never heard of (and whose name I can’t pronounce!) play a sport I have no idea about. There’s something about it that just grabs me.
Maybe one of the factors that makes the Olympics so compelling to me is that there are so many athletes competing, but only one gets the gold medal. Only one of all those runners, gymnasts, divers, or swimmers can win each event. They are all out there competing as hard as they can to try to get that gold medal. The disappointment on their faces when they come up short reminds me that there is only one gold medal.
I think Paul might have been a fan of the Olympics too. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, he says, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” He is saying exactly what we have all seen during the Olympics: Everybody runs, but only one person wins— so run to win!
In the next several verses, Paul makes it clear that he isn’t encouraging us all to become Olympic athletes. He points out that our spiritual life is like a race. We shouldn’t be out loafing along and hoping to qualify. We should be running to win! We should be straining for the finish line, giving it everything we have. We need to get serious about our Christian lives.
When I was little, I used to play “church” with my sister. One of us would get up and lead singing, give announcements, sing a solo, or preach. It was great fun! I’m worried that sometimes we fall into the trap of “playing church.” We come to Sunday school, church, youth group, and even extra meetings sometimes, but it’s just a ritual we’re going through. We’re not “running to win”— we’re just trying to get by. Church is a time for worship, for instruction, for encouragement, and an opportunity to minister to other believers. We need to get serious about church.
No Olympic athlete sits at home watching TV, playing video games, eating chips and drinking pop, waiting to turn into the greatest athlete in the world. That’s preposterous! No, they are working out every day, getting stronger, faster, and better. Do we ever just sit around, waiting for God to zap us and turn us into perfect Christians? It’s never going to happen. God’s plan for his children is that they obey him. That’s why Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Stop sitting around and get busy obeying God! We need to get serious about obeying God’s Word.
Learn a lesson from the Olympics: Go for the gold! Run to win! Make every effort to be the Christian that God created you to be.
P.S. Take a little time this week to read over 1 Corinthians 9:24–27. It’s an amazing passage. See if you can pick out the other lessons Paul has learned from watching athletes compete.