Running With Purpose
“Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
1 Corinthians 9:26-27
Many years, and many pounds ago, I ran cross country in high school.
My first coach was Mr. Johnson. He was a good coach, very knowledgeable, and fair.
One of the duties of a coach is to try and correct flaws in an athlete’s performance. I had a flaw that I wasn’t aware of. As I ran, my arms were spread out. In other words, they were not in alignment, closer to my body. This caused wasted energy that could have been used to help me move forward.
One day at practice, he gave me his stopwatch, which had a long cord. The idea was to hold on to the cord with both hands while running, thus keeping the arms closer to the body.
I remember feeling quite embarrassed and even crying. But, I never forgot that lesson, which helped me to run more efficiently and more disciplined.
Paul uses the analogy of a runner in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27.
Paul says “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim. I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
He ran with a purpose. He ran a disciplined race.
What is your purpose or aim as you run the race today? What is the “why” in what you do?
Perhaps like me, your arms are not in alignment, and you are wasting energy on things that keep you from running efficiently or disciplined.
Run with purpose, run with discipline, asking God to help you move forward towards the finish line.
