Creator, Father, King #277

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

EDDIE TOLAN STOOD ONLY 5-foot-7, weighed 145 pounds, and wore round spectacles that he taped to his face while running. Ralph Metcalfe, meanwhile, was tall and lean, looking much more like a prototypical sprinter. Yet these men were neck-and-neck sprinting rivals as the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles approached.

In the much-anticipated 100-meter dash final, Tolan and Metcalfe appeared to cross the finish line in a dead-heat tie for first place. Initially, the judges, who used handheld stopwatches back then, awarded both runners a 10.38-second time. So they spent several hours looking at black-and-white race film and photographs.

Finally, they declared Tolan the winner, citing that he was the first to cross the finish line with his whole body. It was the first official “photo finish” in Olympic history.

With that in mind, today’s Scripture passage couldn’t be more appropriate! Here’s what the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.

What’s It Mean?

Paul’s original audience, the Corinthians, were very familiar with sports. Besides being acquainted with the ancient quadrennial Olympic Games in Greece, the Corinthians also hosted the biennial Isthmian Games. Paul knew his audience!

He understood how hard athletes train to achieve glory in their sport. He also knew that earthly glory doesn’t last long. Isthmian champions earned “a prize that will fade away”—literally, a wreath of foliage worn on the victor’s head. Christians, however, run the race of life for an “eternal prize”—unimaginable heavenly rewards (Romans 8:18) to be enjoyed forever with our Savior.

Until that glorious day, be disciplined in your spiritual training, whether you’re an athlete or not. Pray and meditate on God’s Word daily, fellowship regularly with other believers, serve others with your spiritual gifts, and spread the gospel. Then at the end of your race, God will award you the heavenly prize that never fades away!

Now What?

Consider ways you can become more disciplined in your daily spiritual training—not to impress God, but to grow in godliness.

Did You Know?

Under today’s Olympic standards—in which a runner only needs to cross the finish line with any body part—Metcalfe probably would’ve won gold in 1932.