1 Corinthians 9:24-27
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. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
In reading this passage this morning one thing comes to mind, “Strict Training!” When I read this word this morning I thought about Olympic training. There is a lot of sacrifice that goes into Olympic training. There is the discipline of the body. Getting up early for training to practice the same moves over and over again until perfection is achieved. Then there is developing a winning mindset that no obstacle is too big to overcome the current pressures to quit in the midst of hardship. Finally, having a heart of a winner involves the integrity to run the race fairly and according to the rules of the game. When our heart, mind and body are in agreement great things can be achieved!
How much greater things can we do for God when it is His Strength, Grace, and Power that helps us in our hardships! There is only one thing that can hold us back from becoming Olympians in the faith; “Lack of discipline.” If we are to compete or run this race we must go into strict training. What does this mean? It means hours in the word becoming skillful in the use of our sword, getting up early to pray being strengthened in the Spirit and spending intimate time with the Father being bathed in His Presence. Most of us know this and are ok with this. However, we have failed to do is to discipline the other parts of us like our body, mind, and heart.
Some of us have a difficult time disciplining our body in the areas of fasting. In other words we can pray but we can’t give up a meal. Can you imagine an Olympian being out of shape from eating too much! How about a runner who smokes? Do you think he could win if he ate pizzas at night and watched TV instead of trained his body? Yet, we allow ourselves to be undisciplined in the way we eat, our lack of exercise and our time in front of the TV. Sometimes we only give God a five minute prayer and watch hours of TV without realizing it. You will never become an Olympian for God if this is your lifestyle. I’m just going to preach to myself here too and keep it real. What good would it do you if you were a great preacher and died of a heart attack because of the way you eat? Jesus would probably ask you why you went home so early when he had so much for you to do. Just because we are not under the Judaic laws of eating doesn’t mean we throw out all wisdom in our eating. When Jesus said, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat,” it didn’t give us a license to eat whatever we wanted without any consequences to our health. Acts 11:7 This particular scripture is actually God’s dealings with Peter on accepting the Gentiles that He would later make clean through the blood of Jesus.
I used to think that God abolished the dietary laws of the bible in this scripture but I have seen the wisdom in those laws in modern science. When God commanded the Jews not to eat shellfish, shrimp and things that crawled on the bottom of the ocean; I thought it was legalism. Now I know that science has found that shrimp causes high cholesterol and that shellfish are filters for the ocean. More people are killed by being poisoned by these sea creatures. He also commands us not to eat bottom feeding fish. Where does all the pollution of our oceans end up? In the bottom of the ocean where those fish eat. We continually read about the unleavened bread. Yet we eat leavened bread all day long. This is yeast. Yeast causes all kinds of sickness in our bodies. Yeast is an organism that spreads in the body and causes fatigue, infections, weight gain, mental confusion and other symptoms that are confused for diseases. A little leaven (yeast) leavens the whole lump. I believe that this is not only a spiritual thing comparing yeast to sin but a principle that was based on the nature of yeast in our bodies. I don’t know why I’m writing about this but some of you may be asking God for a healing. Most of us need to go back to biblical dietary laws to stop recurring sickness. Amen, that’s for me. We can’t run to God every time we eat a gallon of ice cream and cookies so he can heal us of sugar diabetes if we are not going to get rid of our destructive eating behaviors. We are Olympians remember? Once in awhile a treat is ok but not while you are in training.
Finally, Paul says he makes his body a slave. If we don’t start making our bodies slaves in a disciplined fashion we will end up slaves to sickness, weight and lethargy. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m even convicting myself. I hope you all receive this with the love I meant behind it all. Let us search out the scriptures regarding these dietary matters and I’m sure we will find the wisdom of God for our everyday living.
For dietary laws: You can read Leviticus 11
Exodus 12:20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”
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