I am not a runner. At all. With the exception of jogging a few steps now and again, dashing through the rain, or giving chase to either of my Malamutes when they abscond with something they shouldn’t, I do not run. At all. I am not sporty. I do not hit balls with bats, rackets, or paddles, nor do I kick them around grassy fields. I am not an athlete. At all. I am a walker. A step tracker. A devoted one. I do it every day. Intentionally. I don’t take days off. I can’t. I know myself. One would lead to a few. A few would become many. In less time than one would think, my moderate exercise would be a thing of the past. I don’t want that. So walking is part of my life discipline. Every day. Multiple miles. Thousands of steps. Whether I want to or not.
The Apostle Paul must have been a walker, too. Thousands of miles encompass his missionary journeys. An astonishing number of those miles were travelled on foot over rough, uneven ground, in shoes not lined with memory foam, arch supports, or shock absorption. Many were the times he arrived at his destination exhausted. His feet sore. His shoes damaged. His spirits high. Because Paul was on a mission. A mission to spread the Gospel and make disciples everywhere he could. Intentionally. In the face of peril, persecution, and punishment, Paul kept walking. Kept traveling. When he was tired. When he was sore. When his feet hurt. When it would have been easier to stay in one place and build his own church. Paul didn’t allow himself to stop. In determination, with great discipline, Paul kept going. Because discipline is the greater part of discipleship.
It was a fact Paul knew well, one he repeatedly wrote about. The most difficult, yet most important part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ was discipline. The same type of discipline exhibited by athletes. The kind of discipline that had them rising every day to go back to the ring, get out on the track, return to the mat for more training, more practice, more work. It was pushing themselves to do more, go farther, work harder than they thought they could. It was the knowledge that, while training hard was painful in the present, it would pay off in the future.
Paul seems to know quite a bit about sports and training. One wonders how. Perhaps he was an athlete in his younger years. Maybe he grew up watching or hearing about the Isthmian games. Perhaps he simply loved exercise and relished competition. Whatever the reason, he seems to have quite an affinity for the sports of his day. Especially running. He frequently mentions it in his epistles, along with boxing and wrestling. His words exhibit complete understanding of what it takes to win at sports and the awareness that being a true competitor requires discipline and dedication. Boxers do not show up and randomly beat the air. Winning runners do not line up at the starting line without months of grueling training. Wrestlers do not stroll into the ring expecting to win after months out of practice. No athlete who wants to win can afford to sacrifice their disciplined lifestyle. Their diets must remain healthy. Their rest must be balanced. Their training must be consistent. Paul knew all of that. He also knew the same applies to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, to winning an eternal prize, not an earthly one.
By his own admission, Paul wasn’t about losing. At all. He had no time for that. Refused to entertain the thought. He was strictly focused on winning. Eternally. He lived every day with that purpose. Every step he took was monitored and measured. Every area of his life was disciplined and dedicated. Every day was spent training himself, his heart, his mind, to do what he should do rather than what he wanted to do. Not because there was some grand earthly prize on offer. No. There was nothing on earth that meant enough to Paul for him to exert that much energy, force that much focus, live with that much discipline. Nothing. But there was something in eternity. Life. Paul deemed finding eternal life worth every ounce of energy, every second of discipline, every moment of intense focus. Paul wanted eternal life in the world to come more than he wanted anything in the world at present. So he practiced telling himself “no.” He trained for moments of temptation, moments of exhaustion, moments when everything seemed to be going wrong. He trained to stand strong when he knew he would be at his weakest. He put a guard around his heart and mind. He strictly disciplined his words, thoughts, and actions. Paul was willing to settle for nothing less than winning the prize of eternal life. He wanted everyone to secure the same. And, surprisingly, they could. (I Corinthians 9:24-27; II Corinthians 10:5; 12:9; Philippians 3:8,14; II Timothy 4:7-8)
Unlike the other races of Paul’s day, everyone could run, and everyone could win. It was a new concept to them. They were not from the day of participation trophies. They were not accustomed to the weaker, slower, or stumbling racer having a chance at the prize. They would never get there in time. The prizes always went to the strongest, the swiftest, the most surefooted. There was only one winner in their foot races. Only one wreath would be given. Only one prize was on offer. But the race Paul was calling them to enter was notably different. It required the same amount of training, dedication, discipline, and commitment, but it came with a surety. Everyone who put in the effort would win the prize. Everyone. They simply had to run the race of life in such a way that they would win.
Paul didn’t leave them in the dark as to what that entailed. Even as he issued the challenge of “Run to win!” He didn’t leave them wondering how. How to stay focused and disciplined in the face of evil, harassment, social pressure, and persecution. How to keep pace when they were tired, discouraged, frustrated, or confused. How to show up, day after day, and put in the time, the effort, the energy to stay on course and win the prize of eternal life. No. Paul didn’t leave them hanging. He consistently offered many instructions on how to successfully win the prize at the end of the race called life.
Scattered throughout his epistles, Paul leaves several exhortations to encourage the people then and us now to finish the race strong. Their summation is in I Corinthians 7:19. “The most important thing is to keep God’s commandments.” He didn’t really need to expound on it. God’s commands are self-explanatory. They preach themselves. They are concise and precise. They do not end in question marks. Adherence to the commandments of God without exception is the basis of Christian discipline. And His rules are not outside the pale. Many are basic human principles. Don’t lie, cheat, steal, or murder. Don’t let anything usurp the place of God in your life. Not yourself. Not your things. Not your world. Live a life that honors God from a heart that is surrendered to God, the place He reigns supreme and where only His will is done. Those are God’s commands, in a nutshell. Yet, upon seeing their behavior and how quick they were to make exceptions and create caveats, Paul felt the churches he was shepherding needed more guidance on practical application. Perhaps you have yet to notice, but it appears we need the same. (I Corinthians 7:19; Exodus 20:3-17)
In words that likely left people properly gobsmacked, Paul let loose a volley of astonishing memorandums meant to shore up their edges and protect their souls. “Don’t associate with people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ yet engage in decidedly unChristlike behaviors.” Greed. Idolatry. Sexual sins. Abusers. Drunks. Cheaters. Don’t spend time with these people. Don’t allow your presence to give the impression of approval. Don’t make a moment where their behaviors might rub off on you. Don’t give them time to convince you that what they are doing is really okay. You can’t. It is too dangerous. Spending time in that environment will dull your discernment and endanger your dedication. It will actually lead you into confusion and temptation. A place God isn’t. He would never lead you there. That isn’t what God does. Ever. God wants you to win the race. He wants you to gain eternal life through disciplined obedience to His commands that never change, cannot be altered by man, and are always in your best interest. God is not present in any environment that calls wrong right or right wrong, so you shouldn’t be there either. (I Corinthians 5:11; 6:9-11; 15:33-34; James 1:13; Psalm 111:7-8; Isaiah 5:20; II Peter 3:9)
Furthering his elaboration by using historical illustrations, Paul warns the people about becoming weary in doing good. Getting frustrated with God when things aren’t easy or don’t go as planned. Testing God to see if He is still there, still helping, still watching, still caring. Grumbling against Him when the path you are running seems to be uphill both ways. Those were all things the people of Israel had done when they were wandering the wilderness after leaving Egypt. God wasn’t pleased. It hadn’t ended well. Take the lesson, not the experience. Choose to trust when you cannot see. Choose to stay the course even when it is difficult and unpopular. Choose to believe and rest in the promise that God has only good things in mind for His children. (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17; Psalm 37:3; Philippians 2:14-15; Matthew 7:13-14; Romans 8:28; Exodus 14-33)
Diligently guard against spiritual arrogance. Be wary of thinking you have arrived at the pinnacle of sainthood. You haven’t. Not unless you have already received your prize of eternal life. Getting safely this far on your journey is not down to you or your abilities, either. Don’t think it is. It has all been God. His strength. Your weakness. By yourself, you are just one pitfall, one conversation, one distraction away from falling into temptation. So don’t let down your guard. Stay awake. Stay alert. Stay aware. The evil one is out to get you in whatever way he can. Don’t fall for his congratulatory exclamations and premature celebrations. Stay disciplined. Stay focused. Stay informed. Keep reading your Bible. Know what it says. Keep talking with God. Know what He has to say to you. Guard your heart with meticulous diligence, so you don’t fall away, go off course, or stop running altogether. Refuse to allow the lies of the evil one to convince you that you have already won, and in so doing, steal your prize of eternal life. (I Corinthians 10:1-13; Galatians 6:9; II Corinthians 10:5; Proverbs 4:23)
Summing up his exhortations, in the final bit of I Corinthians, the Apostle Paul puts everything in a succinct list for us. All of us. Them then. Us now. A basic checklist for running a successful race that is certain to win the prize of eternal life. Be strong in your faith. Don’t let anyone tell you what to believe. Check everything against the Word of God. Be immovable from your course. Don’t color outside the lines. Don’t opt for an easier path. Don’t look for a different way. Have tunnel vision. Guard yourself. Be watchful. Be aware. Stand firmly. Don’t bend or bow. Resist the urge to make concessions. Be courageous. Don’t wimp out. Don’t run from adversity. Face it head-on. Be strong. Be forceful. Be secure in what you believe. Do it all with love. Honestly. Kindly. Remembering that love is not always approval, sometimes love is reproof. And, most of all, run with patience and diligence, discipline and endurance. Run in such a way that you can be assured of winning the crown of life, which the Lord, the only Righteous Judge, will place on your head when you cross the finish line. Run intentionally. Run determinedly. Run with discipline. Run to win. (I Corinthians 15:58; 16:13-14; James 1:12; I Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Hebrews 12:1; I Timothy 6:12; II Timothy 2:5)