Bodily Control

“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. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (I Cor. 9: 24-27).

Humorously athletic allusions are found throughout “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth…”

Noah led the league in doubles… The prodigal son made a home run!… David pitched and won against the Giants. He struck out Goliath… And Lucifer played several seasons for the Angels, before he got cut… Now onto more realistic matters.

The text uses the analogy of a boxer to illustrate Christian discipline.

There was a technical term employed in boxing used in the text. The decisive first blow was the “fist blow under the eye.” It was the term of that era comparable to our term “knock out.”  In our text there is a term used in the Greek and translated “I buffet” or “I discipline my body” (vs. 27).

In verse 27 the word translated “disqualified” or a “castaway” is “adokimos.” It was a word used to describe an heirloom that had become cracked and no longer being usable was put on a shelf.

Do you discipline your body?  Is there ever a craving you desire that you know to be wrong and you say “NO” to your body?

Are there quantities of food your body craves and you discipline your body to abstain. Are there times your body indicates it feels lazy and you discipline it to get the exercise needed? Are there sexual drives you know to be inappropriate and you discipline your body and exercise self-control?

Like such a boxer we must mentally use our spiritual resources to control our bodies if we are to be spiritual victors.

Perhaps you are not as spiritually mature as you might like and at critical moments you have not buffeted your body. Failure to bring your body under control is a retardant to spiritual growth. In order to gain what you want; it’s going to require a measure of discipline. In fact, the reason you don’t have what you want yet is due to a lack of self-control.

Self-control means that we give up something that we want in order to gain something that we want even more.

A challenging question is are we willing to give up anything to please our Lord?

Winning Requires Self-Control

“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. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9: 24 – 27).

One common characteristic of every great athlete is self-control.  To participate in the Isthmus Games every athlete had to check into the training facility nine months before the games. When they checked-in they checked-out of society. They went into isolation from the public and were completely cut off from everything and everyone outside.

The Greek word describing this experience is “Agonizomai.”  Various translations of the Greek New Testament make its meaning more understandable.  One is:

“Every man who strives for the matches trains himself by all manner of self-restraint.”

Josh Davis, the swimmer who won three gold medals in an Olympic game, spoke of his twelve years of training that resulted in a few moments of glory. Our lifetime of discipline will result in an eternity of glory.

“Anyone who enters a contest goes into strict training.”

The many splendid athletes competing in the Olympics have done so. There is an English word that has come from the Greek word describing this intensive training. It can be heard in the Greek word “agony.” Never has it been said more meaningfully, “no pain no gain.” A muscle is strengthened by being stressed. Likewise, Christians gain spiritual strength by overcoming spiritual and emotional stress. The intent is to overcome stress by the grace of God and praise Him for His enabling grace.

If you are going to follow Christ, submit to the self-discipline required to be obedient to Him. One of the fruits of the Spirit is “self control.” A synonym for self-control is discipline, the ability to discipline yourself to achieve a goal.

There are certain disciplines of our faith that we should be practicing – regular prayer, consistent reading/meditating on God’s Word, and time committed to be with others in the body of Christ, are some.

Examples of the disparity between one with and one without self-control are noted is Scripture.

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28).

“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

Get in the Race

“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. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9: 24 – 27).

This text is a vivid summary of the drive and dynamic resulting from following Christ. The letter is addressed to Christians in Corinth. This great city with a population of 500,000 was the “Vanity Fair”of the Roman Empire. It was one of the most famous “good time cities” of all time. It was an athletic crazed city. The Isthmus Games, which were larger than the Olympic Games, were held in Corinth.

In considering what was required to participate in the games we can gain insight into what is involved in serving our Lord Jesus. Qualifications of the requirements will be the theme of this and subsequent posts. The theme is intended to help understand our relationship with Jesus. First, a participant had to  – – –

Athletes represented various Greek City States. To represent a city the athlete had to prove he was a citizen of that city.

To represent Jesus Christ you must be able to prove you belong to Him, a citizen of His kingdom.. That is, that you have by faith trusted Him in the forgiveness of sin. It is as simple as A, B, C.

        A. – ACKNOWLEDGE you are a sinner.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”  (Romans 3:23).  That’s us.

        B. – BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ.

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness..”

        C. – CONFESS Christ as Savior.

“…with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you. How about last night, last week? Some have established their citizenship, but failed to become competitors.

Athletic competitors have opposition. If nothing else, they compete against the clock. A Christian should not be surprised by opposition. Jesus said they hated Him before they hated us.

Where there is a kingdom there is a king. Believers pray “Thy kingdom come…” Having proven your citizenship confirm it by being loyal to your King by praying and living accordingly “Thy will be done.”

A Crown Awaiting You

The intrigue of the Olympics is most attractive. The ancient games were begun in 776 BC and ended in 393 AD. Being held along with the Olympic Games for years were the less known Isthmian Games. Most renowned games of the period awarded the winners with crowns.

Ancient athletic game winners were crowned with wreaths or crowns made of leaves or flowers, depending on the game and the Greek god being honored.

Winners of the ancient Olympic Games received a wreath of wild olive leaves from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus. The olive wreath became a symbol of peace. Delphi: Winners received a laurel crown. Corinth: Winners received a pine crown. Nemea: Winners received a wild celery crown. The Isthmian Games originally awarded a crown of dry wild celery, but in Roman times it was changed to a pine wreath because pine was sacred to Poseidon. Games honoring Zeus: Crowns were made of olive branches. Games honoring Apollo: Crowns were made of laurels.

Herod the Great (Yes, the Herod of the Bible) built an imposing stadium in Caesarea Maritima, but had difficulty attracting competitors. He devised a new technique as an attraction. Instead of crowning a single winner he awarded first, second, and third place. Instead of a crown he awarded the three winners gold, silver, and bronze metals. Such was attractive feature for athletes. This practice is still used.

The analogy of crowns is used in the Bible regarding rewarding participants in the game of life.

The Imperishable Crown – (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) “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. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [disciplined] in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown” (NKJV).

The Crown of Rejoicing – (1 Thessalonians 2:19) “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?”

The Crown of Righteousness – (2 Timothy 4:8) “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” We inherit this crown through the righteousness of Christ which is what gives us a right to it, and without which it cannot be obtained.

The Crown of Glory – (1 Peter 5:4) “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”

The Crown of Life – (Revelation 2:10) “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” This crown is for all believers.

Like the Twenty-four Elders of the Revelation we can ultimately say, “‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being’” (Rev, 4:10–11). Practice now.

A Good Olympic Example

The Olympic games are sure to inspire and motivate millions. This is the first of six posts related to the games.

A person who is a role model is a living life example. From previous Olympics came future competitors today.

Twenty-four years ago a little eight year old girl named Brooke Bennett watched the American swimmer Janet Evans win a gold medal.  Right then she was motivated and resolved to strive for the same.   Brooke Bennett won her gold medal in Sydney and no one was more proud than her model Janet Evans.

Mike Marsh, Barcelona Gold Medalist in the 200 meters, tells of a friend who was a coach urging him to participate in track without success. He finally motivated him to watch one of the world’s greatest athletes run on TV. Mike watched Carl Lewis and was fired with excitement. He was motivated by Carl’s example as no one had ever been able to motivate him. That motivation created an Olympic Gold Medalist in the person of Mike Marsh.

You may lack motivation for life. You may be without motivation to achieve your best in life. If you study the life of Christ you will find inexhaustible motivation in Him. He then can create in you the best “you,” you have the capacity of becoming. Contained in that “best you” is the most happiness and contentment for which you have the capacity.

Will trusting Jesus as Savior make you a Gold Medalist? Likely not, but there are other benefits. There is an old TV ad that will illustrate this.

A famous athlete is depicted as using a certain deodorant. An aspiring younger athlete holds up a container of the deodorant and asks, “If I use ‘Ban’ deodorant will it make doors open for me?”

A voice comes from nowhere saying, “No, but if you don’t it will make windows open.”

Turning to Christ in faith and trusting Him as Savior might not make you a Gold Medalist but it will make you the best “you,” you can be. Trust Him and see! He will motivate you to strive to be your best at everything you do. He did.

In general, Jesus’s leadership is characterized by his ability to inspire change, develop followers into leaders, and consistently demonstrate compassion and empathy.

Scripture says “…the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6).

You will never personally replicate Jesus, but you can characterize many of His traits. Efforts to follow Him brings out the best in us, hence is fulfilling.

Jesus said, “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13: 15).