1 Corinthians 9:24-27     ²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

In these few verses the Apostle Paul uses the comparison of the Christian life to that of an athletic competition.  His emphasis is on the need for the Christian to possess self-discipline.

In exemplifying self-discipline to RUN TO WIN one must be willing to be:

• RESOLUTE in your Pursuit —

v.26 Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

• Know what you have signed up for
• Focus on your goal
• Strive to reach your goal at all times and at all costs
• Remain Faithful, do not wavier
• Maintain a Champion Mindset

1 Corinthians 15:58 . . .Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

• UPHOLD your Beliefs –

v.27 I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

• Defend your faith, stand up against opposition
• Don’t fear, declare whose side you are on
• Practice what you preach
• Maintain a strong conviction to what you are preaching

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

• NOURISH your Body –

v.25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training

• Establish a healthy diet
• Strict Training – Build Up the Body with healthy and wholesome food
• Daily nutrition of the Word of God
• Daily nutrition of Prayer
• Daily nutrition of Worship of the Father
• Strict Training necessitates routine exercise

Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.

RUN TO WIN!  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Proverbs 11:24   “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. “

A hoarder is one who collects, gathers and holds on to stuff and has a problem letting it go. For years I have heard it said “if you have a tight (closed) fist; nothing can go out and nothing can come in.”  The world instructs us to gain and hold on to as much as we can.  But the truth is, if you hold on to your possessions and never share with others, you fail to realize how powerful the act of giving is.  Scripture teaches giving generously is like sowing seeds and reaping a harvest.  Yet, sowing sparingly one reaps sparingly.  The more you give, the more you receive.  Give generously and you will also receive generously.  Conversely, those who withhold unduly, come to poverty.   We all must come to understand that in order to gain you must first be willing to give. It is God who is the giver of all things.  When God blesses us, we are to be a blessing to others.  We always win when we give generously unto God and His work.  To Give and To Hold!

John 4:14 “. . .but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”   

As I stood looking out my window admiring the grass that had been freshly cut, I began to think how much and how fast the grass had grown over the past week.  We had had a number of consecutive days of down pour of rain.  The grass was fluffy and green.  On the contrary, I thought of how dry the grass had been recently because of the lack of rain.  In certain areas of the yard the grass had turned brown which was a clear indication of dryness.  Not only losing its fresh green appearance, the grass also becomes stiff and brittle; easy to break and crack when a small amount of pressure is applied.  I couldn’t help comparing our spiritual lives in the same way I viewed the yard.  There are times we experience spiritual dryness.  Certain areas of our lives suffer and become discolored without the necessary nourishment for sustaining life.  We become touchy, fragile, easily frustrated and break under pressure.  Daily spiritual water intake is essential for our spiritual growth.  When Jesus encountered the woman at the well, He said to her “. . .but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”    Let us daily drink from the fountain that never runs dry and continually gain spiritual strength and nourishment for this Christian journey.

Psalm 26:2 “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.”

What does examine mean? The Greek word for examine, bḥn (בחן) was a term used by blacksmiths to test the character of metals by melting, to remove debris, in order to detect and determine the purity and strength of the metal: they were put to the test. David understood the need to be put to the test by God. He was willing to allow God to examine him in order to remove the impurities (debris) of the world, that he might be found worthy and faithful to be God’s representative in the earth.

The true Follower of Christ understands the importance of spiritual examination. It is during this time that the Lord makes us aware of all that aligns with His will and that which does not. He removes what is not useful in order to strengthen what remains. We must be both open and sensitive to the promptings of the Lord. When we are willing to be transparent to allow God to examine us, it will reveal every area of our lives that needs to be addressed so that we can walk in unbroken Fellowship with the Father.

I challenge you today to allow Him to examine your heart and mind. It will lead you to a more enriched relationship with God.

Prayer: Father, in every area of my life, make me transparent before You. Reveal and remove every inconsistency and strengthen and perfect what remains: I yield and give them to You to make me into the Servant You desire for me to be. I love You Lord, Amen.

Dr. J. Elvin Sadler

Job 42:10 ‘After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.’

Have you ever experienced a day when you wondered how you were going to make it through?  It seemed that when you got out of bed early that morning things began to go wrong. The phone rings and its more bad news.  Pain begins to rack through your body.  You start to question God and your purpose in life. You expect to hear some encouragement but there is none.  No friends to count on to give you comfort!  What a lonely depressing state to find yourself!  But let me remind you of Job and his situation.  Job had to struggle with great loss.  He had to contend with friends who constantly criticized and accused him of sinning against God.  Although Job had to endure this agony and defend himself against false accusations, he held on to his integrity.  Job never gave up on God’s love for him.  He believed that God had a plan and purpose for his life. It is amazing, even though Job lost practically everything he had, we see that God restored to Job twice as much as he had before.  If we keep our eyes set on the LORD, we too can trust God to see us through our darkest times no matter how long it takes.  God’s love never fails!

Matthew 19:26b . . .with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Man has been gifted to do so many things.  Down through the ages, men have attributed many wonderful inventions to this world.  Garrett Morgan is noted for the creation of a traffic sign to help control the flow of traffic.  Physicist George Carruthers known for inventing a UV telescope, Dr. Mark Dean, computer; Dr. James West, microphone; Dr. Betty Harris, chemistry of explosives; and of course, Dr. Patricia Bath for her Laserphaco Probe and procedure for the removal of cataracts. Not to diminish or take away from any of these distinguished men and women and their contributions to the world, yet we must note that man is still limited in his knowledge and ability. We read in Matthew 19:26 that with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.  Jesus is speaking of man’s inability to save himself.  Man’s ultimate need is salvation and it only comes from God through Jesus Christ. God’s offer of salvation is to all and is a free gift to all.  Therefore, I challenge you today to accept this free gift of God. Do not delay.  God desires to give eternal life to you.

Romans 4:7  “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven; whose sins are covered.”

Sin is known to cause great shame and guilt.  Guilt is hard to deal with and we often internalize the pain it brings.  The weight of guilt can make life seem unbearable.  It’s not always easy to forgive when so much hurt has been inflicted.  So, we tend to build walls to guard against further hurt.  However, forgiveness is the way to relieve guilt and to embrace freedom.  When you are able to forgive your transgressors, you are able to free yourself of hurt.  Yet, true freedom comes as a result of acknowledging and confessing your sins to God.  When we open up to God and ask for forgiveness of our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins.  The Bible declares blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven; whose sins are covered.  When God covers our sins, they are no longer held against us. David experienced this freedom when he cried out to God for forgiveness of sin.  David was guilty of committing adultery, murder and lying.  Yet, God forgave David and covered his sins.  I challenge you today to confess to God any unconfessed sins so that you may be able to walk joyously as you continue on this daily journey.  God is a forgiving God.  And God delights in one who comes to Him with a broken and contrite heart.

Proverbs 1:33   “But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Many people say they want to live a life of peace and security, a life free of trouble.  How realistic is this in this world?  In a world of chaos, hatred, racism, and violence, where can one find peace and security.  The promise found in Proverbs 1:33 tells us whoever listens to me (wisdom) will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. The condition is to listen to wisdom.  Wise counsel comes from God.  Rejection of wisdom brings harm.  Listening is an action word and it is not simply hearing but it is acting upon what you have heard.  Listening to God’s instructions will lead you to a life of safety and peace. You may still face troubles and conflict but wisdom provides the ability to avoid problems as well as the skill to handle them when they arise. God has promised He will be with you always. I challenge you today to listen to God’s words and obey so that you will find security and peace even in this world full of trouble.

Proverbs 14:12     “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Every day we make decisions.  With every decision we make there are consequences, which could be positive or negative; life-giving or deadly.  As we face our daily decisions, we must not forget to seek wise counsel.  It is easy to make a quick decision based upon our own limited knowledge or understanding.  This could, in fact, prove to be very costly.  Solomon writes in Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.  We can avoid many pitfalls if we would go to God who gives true wisdom and understanding. If we fail to seek for God’s guidance, then we are easily influenced by our own desires and ways that may lead to destruction.  Things are not always what they seem. Therefore, before making a rash decision, seek the One who sees all and knows all. What decision are you faced with today?  Financial decisions, relationship decisions, medical, emotional or spiritual. I challenge you to lean not to your own understanding but seek God who gives life to all men.  God will direct you in the right way!

Jeremiah 29:11    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Many of us are so accustomed to making plans to enrich our lives.  We make plans for annual vacations.  We make plans to further our education and even our children’s education.  We make plans to protect our families from dangers.

Although we make these plans with real good intentions, plans are often interrupted.  As we find ourselves in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, we have been forced to rearrange, alter or abort our plans.  Yet, we must not lose heart because God has promised that He has plans for us.  God’s plans will keep us even in the darkest of situations.  God’s plans can take us to places we never dreamt we could go.  God’s plans for our lives are not affected by natural disasters or mishaps along the way.  God’s plans are secure and His promises are always kept.  So fret not in these unprecedented times but trust in God’s plans.  Remember, God’s plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, His plans are to give you hope and a future.  Trust in God’s plans!