Training for life

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 (1 Corinthians 9:25).

When I watch professional athletes demonstrate their skills I am humbled, knowing that I could never do what these talented individuals are accomplishing through their rigorous discipline and training. But God calls on you and I to be accomplished athletes as well. He doesn’t necessarily expect us to compete in track or join a baseball team, but He does expect us to go into strict training. The competition we are to train for is the game called life. Our Lord wants us to train for life the same way that an athlete trains for the championships—with single-minded determination.

Life has a goal—to receive the Crown of Life. That crown is bestowed by God when we die. The Crown of life is a special crown—it raises to life those who have died, raises them so that they can enter paradise. This is the most coveted crown of all—worth far more than any state championship or Super Bowl ring.

In sporting competitions, only one gold medal is awarded. Thankfully, there is more than one Crown of Life—in fact, there is a Crown of life for you, for me, for everyone who strives to win it. We are not in competition with each other to get into heaven; no, we are in competition with ourselves—the lazy, uncaring, selfish part of us that would rather give up the event and take it easy, and let eternal death claim us without a struggle.

To win the prize that God bestows, we need to take life seriously. To win the slalom, you need to stay on the course and not get tangled up in the flags; similarly, we need to navigate through life while trying to avoid getting entangled with sin. This is not easy—it takes effort and commitment. Thankfully, as we compete in life we have the best of coaches—Jesus the Son of God. He offers us the healthy diet of His teachings. He uses the Bible to show the way to the finish line. He encourages us and strengthens us, and when we fall He picks us up, wipes us off, and gets us back into the game. With Jesus as both our coach and our judge, we can win a victory that lasts forever.