"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."
1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV)In school, every pupil wanted to be first in class. There was no special prize, only the pride of hearing the teacher announce your name as the best student of the term. That pride drives us to do remarkable things: months of sleepless nights, giving up pleasures to prepare for exams, and later, rising early for work and giving whole days to our tasks. Parents pour enormous effort into pleasing their spouses and giving their children the best of life. Paul says, "In a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:24).
Sadly, the effort we give to worshiping the One who gives us all these gifts is often the least. We arrive late to services, study His Word far less than we study our textbooks, and rarely make time to share it with others. As Christ's ambassadors, we should give His mission at least the effort we give our own ambitions. If we worshiped Him as though it were a competition we desperately wanted to win, He would be pleased, and the blessings that follow would surpass every earthly achievement. Paul adds that athletes run for a crown that will not last, but we run for one that will last forever (1 Corinthians 9:25). Ask yourself where your best effort is going today.
Lord, forgive me for giving my best to earthly goals and my leftovers to You. Stir in me a desire to worship You, study Your Word, and share it with others with all that is within me. Help me to run my race in a way that wins the prize. Amen.