Running the Race Like An Olympian

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.’”

Constitutional Right To Be Offensive Is Not Biblical

     1 Corinthians 10:23 Amplified All things are legitimate [permissible--and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].
This morning as I was getting ready to start my day when a Yahoo news caption caught my eye. Kanye West grabs mic from Taylor Swift. Curious I decided to see what all the fuss was about and as I watched the video that was posted online. I was shocked to find out that Kanye West had grabbed the mic away from Taylor Swift while accepting a VMA award. He simply jumped on stage to let everyone know that he thought Beyonce had a better video. Taylor Swift stood there not knowing what to do. The audience booed Kanye the rest of the night. Though Kanye did nothing illegal it was incredibly rude and hateful to Taylor Swift.
There is a trend that I am seeing more and more in our country and it is this: Let's use our freedom to do what we want regardless of who it hurts or offends. The constitutional freedoms that our forefathers worked so hard to afford us and our military has worked so hard to defend have been used as an excuse to be hurtful to others. Unfortunately, many people use the freedom of speech as an excuse to use hateful, prejudicial, sensual and rude.  They use language with no regard to who they are offending. Jesus was clear though in Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

Reason #1 Not all things are profitable: It makes our spirits weak when we indulge our flesh.

     This is not limited to the secular media but also to the church. For we have used the grace of God and our freedom from sin as an excuse to live a self indulgent lifestyle. A far cry from the disciplined lifestyle that Jesus and his disciples lived. "To be a forerunner in the last days you must live a fasted and prayerful lifestyle. "I once got in a discussion with a "Christian" online on why they should not be befriending women online who were half clothed and who clearly where there to lure men to their porn sites. He claimed that he was ministering to these women and I had no right to judge them. I told him that children were also on myspace and could see all that was on his myspace profile. Matthew 18:6 "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." I will agree that there is no law against being on myspace but is your time online and the places you are going are they building your spirit. While it may be permissable to watch TV is it something that is going to edify our spiritual life. Is what you watch a stumbling block to your children? Do you watch rated R movies in front of your children? Is your conversations with others clearly depict you as a child of God? Or do people hear you curse, gossip and tear others down? Do you meditate on violent games and violent movies. You say it doesn't affect you but you carelessly do it front of others that maybe are trying to overcome a gang lifestyle. I know for me that too much TV makes me weak. What's your kryptonite? More importantly, do you know what makes others spiritually weak?

Reason #2 Not all things are permissible: If you violate the conscience of others you violate the higher law of love. 1Corinthians 10:²⁴Let no one then seek his own good and advantage and profit, but [rather] each one of the other [let him seek the welfare of his neighbor].

     An ongoing dilemma in the church is that of drinking. I hear people say that they only drink a glass of wine with dinner. If that's true that may be permissible but...if you are drinking every night and can't go to sleep without it or your prescriptions now it falls under bondage. See whatever we can't go without has already mastered us. If you can't fast TV, media, food or go without something then it has you. More importantly if you are drinking in front of someone who used to have a drinking problem then you have just become a stumbling block to that person. If you are playing the lottery in front of someone who had a serious gambling problem then you need to reconsider your spiritual freedom. (I personally believe that if we invested our money into the kingdom and followed God's spiritual principles on money we would prosper regardless of the economy.) I consider eating a big fat juicy piece of bacon in front of a Jew rude. It's like eating a piece of cake in front of someone who is struggling with their weight and dieting. I have let people know when something offends my conscience and you would be surprised how often the response is one of defensive pride. Bottom line if you are parading your freedom in front of others with no regard as to how it hurts their conscience then you are in sin. Anything that violates the love of God is sin.

Reason #3 Not all things are wholesome: Not everything is good for us.

     Ah, the western culture. We are among the sickest most unhealthiest groups of people on the earth. We have taken the scripture about Peter having the vision of eating what was unclean and ran with it. We have made it to mean that we can eat anything and we will be ok. Just this week we said good bye to a friend who lost to a long time battle with her weight. Her heart and lungs filled with fluid until she couldn't breathe no more. I'm sure that in the beginning she saw no harm with the little dainties and delicacies she was eating until it became too late. Unfortunately many of us will see Jesus sooner than later because we have refused to take care of the body he gave us. Ouch! That hurt me more than it hurt you. We think we can eat a stack of pancakes, pork sausage, hashbrowns all smothered in gravy and stay healthy. Jesus didn't eat pork. If God truly lifted all the food restrictions in the Old Testament then why did Jesus continue to eat fish and bread. I don't know if you noticed this but Jesus did eat a lot of seafood. He did a lot of walking and fasted quite often. Food related diseases like diabetes are at on all time high. If you think you can drink beer with your cake and be around for a long time then you need a check up from the neck up. We can't live a self indulgent lifestyle and live long. Don't let me get started on those fattening Starbucks coffees with donuts. How about all the fast food? Just remember fast food, fast death. Though we have the freedom to eat what we want let's not use that freedom to cut our destiny short here on earth. I don't want to hear Jesus say "Why are you here so soon? I had things for you to do still and I had to find someone else to finish your work." I want to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant." We can't ignore the obvious. Whatever we sow, we reap. This a spiritual principle that even affects our health. See it may be lawful for you to eat everything but not everything is wholesome.