“Do 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. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, 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” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
RUN IN SUCH A WAY AS TO GET THE PRIZE.
We always make time for what is important to us.
We always prioritize what is important to us.
We always go out of our way to do what is important to us.
So what is it that you make time for? What do you prioritize? What do you go out of your way for? It wouldn’t be that hard to determine what’s important to us. If we were to see what fills our calendar and how we actually spend our time, we would know.
The Apostle Paul reminds us – if you’re going to live this Christian life, if you’re going to live as if you were created for eternity, if you’re going to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ – run the race of life as if eternity matters, as if God matters.
Bottom line – if you’re serious about your discipleship you will make a way to invest in spiritual growth and maturity. When you are not, you will make excuses.
Praxis: Faith in Action 