Life’s Biggest Contest
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets
the prize? Run in such a way to get the
prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24
Today is Super Sunday and competition is in the air. Competition is one of those double-edged
swords that has become an important part of our society. Look around any corner and you’ll find that
it forms the fabric of our society. Seahawks and Broncos, Coke and Pepsi, and
Chevy and Ford will go at it.
From the days of the Roman Empire when sports were played in the Coliseum to
today, where sports are played in elaborate billion dollar state-of-the-art
stadiums, competitions have intrigued both athlete and fan. On the one hand, it challenges us to rise to
the highest level and strive to reach peak performance. On the other hand, it can cause us to have
apathy and contempt for our fellow man if not kept in balance. Don’t
get me wrong. I’ll watch the game along
with many millions of others around the globe.
However, I have grown to see life in a broader dimension.
Richard Halverson,
former Senate Chaplain, shared some light on what I believe that God would want
us to think when it comes to competition.
“Want to be a winner?”
Compete against
yourself, not somebody else.
Beating your partner
at golf doesn’t necessarily mean you shot your best game. Outrunning your rival doesn’t mean you ran
your best race. Your can win over
another and still not fulfill your potential.
It’s true in all of life. To be
your best, you must compete with yourself.
It’s life’s biggest contest.
A loser is a
winner-however many losses- if he conquers himself.
A winner is a loser-
however many victories- if he loses the battle with himself. Alexander the Great conquered the world, and
cursed his own lack of self-control.
Victory over others
may in fact be the very thing that contributes to the winner’s failure to
conquer self. Winning makes him proud,
arrogant, independent, thoughtless, and sometimes cruel. (We have heard enough Super Bowl sound bites
of conceit to last us for the rest of the year).
To put it another way,
it isn’t what happens to you that makes the difference, but how you handle
it.
If you must compare
yourself with another, compare yourself with Christ. Let Him mold and fashion your life into your
full potential, the divine original He intends.”
Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 9:24 that we
need to “run in such a way to get the prize.” While only one team will lift the Lombardi
Trophy this evening, all who live their lives with passion focused on Christ
will get the prize. While all trophies
in this life rust or find their way to obscurity, we can find a lasting
one. In whatever area of life, give it
your all for Him.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1)
Where have you found yourself comparing your
life to others?
2)
What would Christ ask you to do in this
area?
Consider reading the word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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