1 Cor 9:24:27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize. So run that you may obtain it…
As Char and I watched the Olympic games being held in London, I couldn’t help but wonder at the dedication of the winning athletes. Four years ago, Ryan Lochte was in the ‘shadows’ of the great swimmer Michael Phelps. After seeing Phelps win 8 gold medals, Lochte dedicated himself to becoming stronger and in better condition to compete against and to beat Phelps.
In one of the feature stories, Lochte’s training regimen was documented. It showed him doing a number of unconventional exercises with heavy objects. One such exercise showed him lifting and turning over and over again a 650-pound rubber tire. It was strenuous and hard to do, but Lochte had mastered it. I was reminded of today’s verse …”So run that you may obtain it….”
I meet each week with a number of men for accountability and discipleship. One of the re-occurring battles or issues that I and a number of men face is ‘how to live a pure life in the midst of an ever increasing XXX-rated culture’. Pornography is accessible, always only a click or two away. Unsolicited emails, billboard advertisements, radio music, and TV commercials ALL hearken to our flesh. It is EASY to give the members of our bodies: our eyes, ears and thoughts to the lie that it is OK to look as long as you don’t touch. Most guys I know fight and fight, losing the battle sometimes, then getting back up and fighting so more.
One brother recently asked me, “Are you fighting to fight? Or, are you fighting to win?” This is an interesting question and an important one. If you are fighting to fight, then the ‘battle’ continues to be on going, almost even ‘noble’ to say, “I am in the fight.” If you are fighting to win, then there is a sense of absolutism about the fight. It is for ‘keeps’. It is more solemn, more intense and more deadly. You will do ‘whatever it takes’ to fight AND win. Col. 3 says: “Put to death what is earthly within you, all passion, evil desire, lust…” We are called to ‘fight to win’. Rom. 6 says, “You also MUST consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Lochte won what is considered the most grueling swimming race of all, the 400M Individual Medley, beating Phelps by several seconds. His hard work was vindicated. He ‘fought’ and trained to win, and walked away with the gold medal.
