Tuesday, February 6, 2024

FINISHING WELL

 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NIV)

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.

               In my devotions I have been working my way through 1&2 Chronicles. One of the things that stood out to me as I came to the end of 2 Chronicles is how many kings of Judah started their reign well, following the Lord, but ended poorly.

               One example is King Joash. He became the king of Judah at the age of seven. He reigned for 40 years. For the first half of his reign, he was guided by Jehoiada the priest. Under the watchful eye of Jehoiada, Joash restored the Temple and genuine worship to God. But after Jehoiada died, Joash began listening to other voices. He turned away from the Lord and did evil in God’s sight.

               Paul must have been thinking about the history of the kings of Judah when he penned the words in 1 Corinthians 9.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
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.

               Paul knew all too well that it was possible to run a good race and stumble at the end. He challenged the Corinthians to keep their focus and to not give up the race. Paul set the example by the way he lived his life. He was not cocky or complacent. He was determined to run the race to the very end, to the best of his ability.

               One of the sad aspects of the church in America today is how many prominent Christian leaders have failed near the end of their race. Many of them had long, successful ministries. Many people were blessed by them and many came into the Kingdom through them. Yet, at some point they took their eyes off of the goal and failed to finish strong. Like Joash, they began listening to the wrong voices and the outcome was spiritual failure.

               I know that through Christ we can never fall out of God’s grace. But we can forfeit the prize and hinder the cause of Christ by our actions, if we are not careful. Satan is always on the lookout for new ways to trip us up. He knows where we are weak and vulnerable even better than we do. Nothing gives him more pleasure than to cause a believer to stumble and fall. Therefore, we need to always be on our guard. None of us are exempt from or immune to temptation. Daily we need to be aware of what is going on within us, not just what is going one around us. Often Satan uses external circumstances to blind us to his spiritual attacks. Peter reminds us that we must be vigilant at all times.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

               Paul often used running a race as an illustration for the Christ life. As I look back over my life and my ministry, I realize that it has been a series of races embedded in one long spiritual marathon. I have run some of those races well and others not so well. Each race matters. I still have some races to run before me. My greatest desire is to run them in such a way that at the end I will not be disqualified for the prize.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

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