Jeffrey C. Long

“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.”

- I Corinthians 9:24

Our faith can sometimes feel too cerebral. It would be easier if we could see the goal of holiness in front of us in as a tangible object to be achieved. But even cerebral tasks require discipline. In the article Performance under pressure Sally Jenkins talks about the connection between discipline and the cerebral work of being a writer.

“I thought, why wouldn’t you, as a writer, treat your brain the way an athlete treats her body?? If you’re ambitious about writing, why wouldn’t you behave half as seriously about your ability as an athlete does?”

I think that our spirituality is very much connected with how we treat our body as a tool. We forget that the mind, where our spirit lies, is like a muscle, in that it can be stretched to perform better if fed correctly and exercised. Poor lifestyle habits will damage our ability to pursue greatness. This doesn’t just involve diet and exercise, but also disciplines like prayer and regular reading in the Word. We aren’t doing these just because we’re supposed to, but because they strengthen our ability to perform as athletes in the Kingdom of God.

This reminded me of an article Last Day’s Ministries published called Aggressive Christianity by Catherine Booth. She writes

“I have been reading the New Testament lately with special reference to the aggressive spirit of original Christianity. And as far as I can see, we come infinitely short by comparison. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.” Look at what is implied in this commission. I believe that no generation since that first century has yet fathomed the meaning of this divine commission. Look at it! Would it ever occur to you that it really meant, “Go and build chapels and churches, and invite the people to come in, but if they won’t – leave them alone”? “GO!” To whom? “To all creation.” Where am I to get at them? WHERE THEY ARE. “All creation.” This is the extent of your commission. Seek them out, run after them, wherever you can get at them. “All creation” – wherever you find a creature that has a soul – there go and preach My Gospel to him. If I understand it, that is the meaning and spirit of this commission.”

Christianity is athletic. It requires discipline. Only with regular exercise are we able to “run in such a way as to get the prize.”

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