What is at stake?
The month of August
has brought us the Summer Olympics. What an amazing string of events. A great
number of nations were represented, athletes from all over the world with the
same goal in mind; to represent their country and win a medal. Some of the most
compelling stories of the Olympic Games have been told during these games. My
favorite one is the story about the 10,000 m women's champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia. Since the running of the 10,000 m was added as an Olympic
sport for women somebody in Dibaba’s family has won a medal in the event except
for 1988 Olympics. The dedication and training that takes to get to that level
of athletic competition must be grueling. For many of these athletes winning is
everything. For some of these countries your reputation and how you're treated
hangs in the balance of winning a medal. Some of these athletes trained their
whole lives and don't even make it to the podium. They have won their event in
their countries and in world championships, but the Olympics are the pinnacle
for a lot of these sports that they compete in. Once an event is over and the
winners are announced the reactions are priceless. They fill the whole range,
from joy and vindication to surprise and disappointment. There chase is over
and you can see in their faces that all the anticipation and the sacrifice has
either paid off or not.
The Olympic Games have been around since 776 BC. My guess,
in reading through scholars, is that some form of athletic competition existed
in the time of Paul that resembled the Olympic Games. In 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27
the apostle Paul writes: “Do you not know that the runners in a stadium all
race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Now
everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it
to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Therefore I do not
run like one who runs aimlessly, or box like one who beats the air. Instead, I
discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching
to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
The apostle Paul is speaking to the church in Corinth about
the Christian life and persevering sharing the gospel. It always fascinates me
how the Apostle Paul describes things to the common folk. We have to look at
this from the point of view of a Christian and our Christian walk. On the
surface it looks like Paul is saying that there's only one price and only one
person can win. In reality there is only one price but everyone who accepts
Jesus Christ as Lord can win it. His metaphor is more to encourage the brothers
and sisters to continue to strive forward and never lose faith. How many times
in our Christian walk we get to a point where the odds seem insurmountable. At
that point in our walk what do we do? At this point in our walk who do we turn
to? Do we know what's at stake? We get to a point of desperation, we are stuck
in a rut, and we justify every excuse not to share the gospel. Our Christian
walk will always be filled with ups and downs but our purpose never changes. To
share the gospel, with as many people as we can, is that purpose. The gospel is
an incredible historical event of sacrifice and triumph like no other event. To
share with others the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and is
through the gift of grace and his sacrifice that we can come before God and ask
for forgiveness. Olympic athletes strive for medals that will become a distant
memory to others until the next Olympic Games. As Christians we strive for a
prize that will never end, eternity with God. Now there is a prize worth going
for!
RH
