Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27
Hip Hop. Rap. R and B.
I still don’t know the difference between these types of music but after spending an entire summer in the weight room with a group of freshman boys you begin to learn what they like. The booming sound exploding from that room was literally deafening at times. Thank God all of those years of shooting without ear protection! Sometimes you can barely hear yourself think as the pounding bass concusses your brain. Having teen boys I have heard more than my share of their style of music so with the help of Dale Collver, our middle school pastor, we sought out solid Christian alternatives. One day I approached a few of the Christian leaders on the team and asked if they had heard the song “Go Hard” by rapper LeCrae. They hadn’t but said they would look for it on Itunes.
The next day I was to exhilarated hear those familiar words echoing across the walls of the weight room, “Go hard or go home. Lord Use me up!” Gage, a new believer, quarterback and team leader had purchased the entire album and was playing it for all the boys!
My mind instantly flashed to 1984 and my senior year of high school. Gary McCuskar gave me my first Bible (The Way-New Living Translation) but not yet a follower of Jesus I sought out verses that had to do with sports (or so I thought). Searching the concordance in the back of the Bible for cool sports-related verses I stumbled upon this passage and have been endeared to it ever since. I love the picture this passage paints.
It is the picture of a man punishing his body and making it his slave. It is a picture of a man beating a punching bag until barely able to lift his arms. It is a picture of running one more wind sprint, of a disciplined diet strategy, and working harder and longer than others. It is the picture of pain. It is the picture of pushing through the pain to that ecstasy few experience outside of training.
It is arms too pumped to take off a shirt. It is legs too sore to stand up straight (or sit on the toilet). It is lungs burning for one more breath. It is the sweat stinging your eyes. It is the smell of fresh cut grass of fall. It is a partner screaming, “One more rep!” It is a coach pushing you beyond legal limits. It is the picture of a man sold out, a man who is completely committed to “Go Hard or Go Home.”
This extreme self discipline, however, is not an end in itself. A man must experience target fixation. He set on the “crown”. He smells the prize. He hears the roar of the finish line. It is prize that goes way beyond any "participation trophy" that stands on the shelves of our children as a symbol of mediocrity and, as always, fairness. A man, a true champion, knows that life is not fair and only one can earn the privilege of being called a “Champion.”
This passage, however, is deeper than any sporting event or athletic endeavor. The stakes are higher than you can ever imagine. The trophy is for the hearts of men and the stakes are unimaginably high-FOREVER! Paul is talking to the Church about the pursuit for the greatest trophy of all-God. Do not be misled into thinking that having “preached to others (27)” is the goal. Ministry is only a means. The goal is only met “after” the preaching. In other words, what we do for Christ is not an end of itself. It is who we are in Christ that matters most to God. The prize, no matter what our lives produce, is a real and intimate relationship with Christ that flows from the heart. This is what matters most-Jesus. He is our Crown. His is our Prize. He is our great trophy. He is our greatest pursuit. He is the tape at the end of the finish line. In his great love God gives each of us a purpose, a mission, and a meaning to exist even though He does not need us. His purposes are simply a means to the end of drawing us closer to the Trophy-Himself.
