Young People's Group

RUNNING THE RACE OF LIFE WELL

by Pastor Mitch
November 23, 2014

Looking Forward To Youth Games Day

This Saturday, we would be having our YPG Games Day. We have about 90 young people (including com members) coming for this. God willing, it will be a good time of interacting and fellowshipping with each other over games and food. We hope that this would be an opportunity to build greater rapport with one another. There is also a special relay race planned where teams of YPG com members will compete with teams of YPG members. This exciting race would be the finale of the games day. Whenever I look at a running race, I am reminded of the greater race of life that we are all involved in. It is vital that we seek to run the race of life well.

Deep Knowledge And A Winning Attitude Go Together

The context of the text of 1 Corinthians 9 is focused on Paul’s defence of his apostleship. He challenged his detractors to examine his life and ministry whether he was truly qualified to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. He likened how we should live and serve the Lord to running a race.

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” 
1 Corinthians 9:24

The word “know” is not just a matter of having general knowledge or even deeper knowledge. What Paul was writing about is having complete knowledge. He was raising the question of whether the Corinthians really fully understood and knew what it means to run the race of life well. All runners in a race can run the race, but only one will win the prize. Paul’s command to the Corinthians was for them to run the race of life with this purpose to win the prize, and not just run to finish it.

Putting In Greater Effort To Run The Race

“… but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.” 
1 Corinthians 9:24-25

The word “receive” in the Greek means to actively seek to receive the prize. This is what an athlete would do. The word “obtain” in the Greek is a compound word. It means to seize hold of something in a more forceful manner. The Christian who runs the race of life would put in even more effort to eagerly seize the prize and make it one’s own. There is the intensifying of effort to win the prize. It would also require much self-control on our part. An athlete during training and the race would have to agonise over many thing. And yet he would seek to be temperate in all things. He would learn to exercise control over his will. Winning the prize cannot be achieved by just putting some effort into training and running the race. It would take tremendous effort on our part. Let’s put in greater effort to run the race of life and to be temperate in all things.

Setting Our Sights On The Eternal Crown

“Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” 
1 Corinthians 9:25

If athletes put in lots of effort to receive a perishable crown, even more so, we should do all we can for an eternal crown that does not fade away. Our focus should not be on the here and now. It should be on eternity. We should set our sights on this crown that Christ would give to us one day. Paul in the text of 2 Timothy 4:7 wrote of how he had finished his race well and there would be a crown of righteousness which the Lord Jesus, the righteous judge, would lay on him. This crown of righteousness would be given to us too. Let’s do all we can to take hold of this imperishable crown.

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