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1 Corinthians 9:23-27
Run to Win
You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and
read by all men; being manifested that you are a
letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink,
but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets
of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
--2 Corinthians 3:2, 3
but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may
know how one ought to conduct himself in the
household of God, which is the church of the living
God, the pillar and support of the truth.
--1 Timothy 3:15
Paul
1. Preach the gospel
2. Teach and Train
3. Plant Churches
Paul
Having thus a fond affection for you, we were wellpleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God
but also our own lives, because you had become
very dear to us.
--1 Thess. 2:8
And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and
teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may
present every man complete in Christ. And for this
purpose also I labor, striving according to His power,
which mightily works within me.
--Colossians 1:28, 29
Corinth
1After these things he left Athens and went to
Corinth.
4And he was reasoning in the synagogue every
Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
11And he settled there a year and six months,
teaching the word of God among them.
--Acts 18:1, 4, 11
And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I
may become a fellow partaker of it.
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. And 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. Therefore I run in such a way, as not
without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the
air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest
possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself
should be disqualified.
--1 Cor. 9:23-27
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us also lay aside every
encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles
us, and let us run with endurance the race that is
set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author
and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before
Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
--Hebrews 12:1, 2
The Gospel
And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I
may become a fellow partaker of it.
--1 Corinthians 9:23
Jesus
10“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save
that which was lost.” --Luke 19:10
15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to all creation. --Mark 16:15
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is
now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,
because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in
righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having
furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
--Acts 17:30, 31
solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance
toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. --Acts 20:21
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life. --John 3:16
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved,
you and your household.” --Acts 16:31
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes
Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into
judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
--John 5:24
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. And 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. Therefore I run in such a way, as not
without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the
air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest
possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself
should be disqualified.
--1 Cor. 9:24-27
1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one
receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us.
I have been thinking about these verses a lot lately...they often
come to mind while I'm running and it gives me something to
think about other than how tired I am :) When we started
training for out first 5K we could barely run 1/4 mile without
stopping...I have been thinking of that in comparison to life
and how sometimes we set out on the race set before us and
in our flesh can't make it on our own--we get distracted by
the other "runners" or we are weighed down by our own sins
and flesh.
But one thing I have learned about running- it's such a
mental thing... We often have to encourage each other
to keep going "you can do it we are almost there" is
something we say a lot.. I need to work on
applying that to life and encouraging each other "we
are almost there...our goal...do not give up."...In a race
or while we run I often times just want to stop. And
sometimes in life it's easier to make wrong choices or
not go out of our way to put others first...but that's not
what we should focus on...our life on earth is just a
breath...so short....a 5K in comparison to a
Marathon...can't we put our own wants and selfish
desires aside for a short time? James 4:14--whereas
you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what
is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little
time and then vanishes away.
Today I want to go back to the starting line with my
mind set on the correct goals in life:
Colossians 3:2--Set your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth.
Not on my own- I can't do it on my own- only through
Christ who gives me strength (Phil 4:13)
And I'm not saying it's easy--I may stop and need to
catch my breath at times, I may trip and fall, I may
need to start the race back at the "starting line"
...just like how I have awesome running buddies to
encourage me and keep me motivated--God has
given me awesome people in my life to help me
stay on course and I am so thankful for that :))
Ready, Set.....GO!
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed
is the man who takes refuge in Him!
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers
them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves
those who are crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the
LORD delivers him out of them all.
--Psalm 34:8, 17-19
“Remember the former things long past, For I am
God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is
no one like Me, Declaring the end from the
beginning And from ancient times things which
have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be
established, And I will accomplish all My good
pleasure’;
--Isaiah 46:9, 10
in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is
greater than our heart, and knows all things.
--1 John 3:20
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for
he who comes to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
--Hebrews 11:6
And we know that God causes all things to work
together for good to those who love God, to those
who are called according to His purpose.
--Romans 8:28
And on that day, when evening had come, He said to
them, “Let us go over to the other side.” And
leaving the multitude, they took Him along with
them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats
were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of
wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so
much that the boat was already filling up. And He
Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and
they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You
not care that we are perishing?”
--Mark 4:35-38
And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to
the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down
and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them,
“Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no
faith?”
--Mark 4:39, 40
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith
produces endurance. And let endurance have its
perfect result, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.
--James 1:2, 3
Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of
Christ.
--Galatians 6:2
Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of
you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from
the living God. But encourage one another day
after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” lest any
one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
--Hebrews 3:12, 13
The Christian life is like a race. It requires
self-discipline. It calls for strenuous
effort. It demands definiteness of
purpose. The verse does not, however,
suggest that in the Christian race only
one can win the prize. It simply teaches
that we should all run as winners. We
should all practice the same kind of
self-denial that the Apostle Paul himself
practiced. Here, of course, the prize is
not salvation, but a reward for faithful
service.
--William MacDonald
9:25 Now Paul changes the figure from
running to wrestling. He reminds his readers
that everyone who competes in the games,
that is, wrestles, exercises self-control in all
things. A wrestler once asked his coach,
"Can't I smoke and drink and have a good
time and still wrestle?" The coach replied,
"Yes, you can, but you can't win!" As Paul
thinks of the contestants at the games, he
sees the winner stepping up to receive his
prize. What is it? It is a perishable crown, a
garland of flowers or a wreath of leaves that
will soon wither away. But in comparison he
mentions an imperishable crown which will
be awarded to all those who have been
faithful in their service to Christ.
--William MacDonald
…discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for
bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness
is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for
the present life and also for the life to come.
--1 Timothy 4:7, 8
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering,
and the time of my departure has come. I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and
not only to me, but also to all who have loved His
appearing.
--2 Timothy 4:6-8