Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. — 1 Corinthians 9:24
I have a lot of admiration for runners. They are some of the most committed and dedicated people that I know. They train in the heat, the cold, on flat surfaces, on hills, and look for new challenges.
One thing that my runner friends have shared with me is that they understand they may not win the race, but they want to accomplish two things typically. They want to strive for a personal record and they want to finish the race.
In other words, they want to finish and they want to finish well. Such a determination should be that of the Christian. We often hear our walk of life shared as a race and many days certainly do feel like a race. But here in 1 Corinthians, we see that we should not just run, but we should want to run looking at the prize and desiring the prize.
Our prize is much better than a race medal or a trophy saying that we won. Our prize is an eternity in heaven living with God. While we can race in this world and be unsure if we will win, our spiritual race is one that we can know the outcome with certainty before the race is over.
