WIN

I’m old enough to remember when competition was a good thing, and not everyone got the trophy. In my first year of football, my team did not get a trophy. I remember vividly watching other boys walk up and get first and second-place trophies. Of course, the first-place trophies were much bigger, but as a fourth-grader, I would have been happy with the second-place trophy.

I also remember thinking that someday I would get a trophy. It made me work and try harder. Thankfully that hard work paid off in my fifth-grade year, we finally got a second-place trophy and in my sixth-grade year, I got the big, first place trophy. Sadly, today everyone gets a trophy and I’m afraid it has caused people to lose their desire to work and strive to win.

The passion to win and to be the best should also be a Christian trait. The Apostle Paul challenges us in I Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” The call is not just to be in the competition but to compete to win. As a follower of Jesus, we should not settle for second place. So, we train, we work, and we run the race.

The race we are called to run is the race of life. We are called to run it well, to run to win, and not just so we can win some kind of participation ribbon. We should be reminded that we will all stand before Jesus to give an account of how we ran our race. So, how do we run to win? Paul tells us as we continue through chapter 10. He says to stay in fellowship with Christ, to turn away from evil desires, and to take our Christian life extremely seriously. To win the race we are to be imitators of our Lord.

Ultimately, we must choose Jesus every day over the junk of this world. We must keep our focus on the Author and Finisher of our faith. Lastly, don’t settle for being an average follower, but desire to be the best, to finish the race with all you have. Our desire should be to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”