FCA ResourcesDevotional
Run to Win
Ready
“Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown. So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating 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.” -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Set
There are a lot of people in this world who participate in athletics, but not all of them are competitors.
The difference? A competitor plays with purpose. A competitor trains, plays and runs to win.
Paul understood the heart of a competitive athlete and knew that as a Christian athlete, we must train our hearts spiritually like we do our bodies physically … with purpose.
As followers of Jesus, our purpose in this life is to train our hearts to love like Jesus, to serve others like Jesus, and to put our faith and hope in the Father like Jesus, in every area of our life. Jesus said it this way in John 10:10, “…I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
When we have Christ in our lives, we are not just living but we have true life; life that is rich and satisfying, life that has purpose and life that is running to win.
Go
- As an athlete, how do you train your body to perform at its best?
- As a Christian, how do you train your heart to win?
Overtime
“God, help me to focus my life on the purposes You have set before me as an athlete and follower of You. Amen.”
Group