Lasting Crown
This is the time of year that buses, trains, boats, automobiles, planes and any other form of transportation you can think of are filling to capacity with missionaries who are heading to isolated areas in the United States and to the most remote corners of the world.
I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming Olympics soon to begin in China. This is thrilling because there are a lot of athletes who will be participating in the Olympics who are believers in Jesus Christ. These athletes will have an opportunity to carry the good news of the Gospel in every race they run, in every jump they take and with every lap they swim.
Let me encourage you to remember in prayer all those athletes who will be representing the United States during the Olympics. As you begin your day don’t forget that as a Christian you are also running a race that has eternal consequences. As you take those huge steps of faith in your walk with the Lord, as you dive into each day at work and as you sprint from each challenge that comes your way you are running a race for Jesus Christ.
In everything that we do and say we are representatives for the Lord. Keep your eyes firmly fixed upon the ultimate goal in this life, which is eternity with Jesus Christ, and you will have won a prize worth far more than any gold medal athletes may win during the Olympics.
Paul encourages all believers in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25:
“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.”
It is not enough to casually read God’s word without a set goal, it’s not enough to occasionally pray and it’s not enough to intermittently attend church. If we are serious about winning our race as Christians, we must prepare diligently and purposefully just like those athletes who will be competing in the 2008 Olympics.
