Disciplining Your Body
‘Do you not know that those who run in a race run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lest; I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified’ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
It is clear that as believers in Christ we are called to run a spiritual race on earth with all our heart, body, soul and mind so that we, one day will enter into eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ. The race that we are called to run can at times be painful and seem never ending. Trials, storms and rocky places are part of the obstacles that we will have to run through in order to complete the race. However, in order to run this race we must be spiritually fit. If a runner was attempting to run a twenty six mile marathon and they had not even as much as run a mile before or done any other training, suffice to say they would not make it to the end of the marathon. In our Christian walk we need to make sure that we are prepared and are spiritually equipped so that we finish the race and obtain the imperishable crown of being with God forever. It is so easy to have the best intentions about reading God’s word and spending time in his presence. However, when the alarm goes off it is all too easy to roll back over into bed and turn the alarm off. I encourage you sisters not to do this but to ‘discipline’ your bodies as the apostle Paul wrote in the above passage of the bible. We literally need to discipline ourselves to jump out of bed (if this is what it takes) and to get up and spend time with God and in His word. We need to seek God’s will each and every day so that we can be sure that what we are doing is what the Lord would have us do. We need to ask God for a fresh pouring out of His Holy Spirit in our lives so that we will be able to discern what He would have us do or say. As we continue to discipline our bodies and bring them under the subjection of God’s perfect and pleasing will, we need to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Glory that is waiting for us when we will be with Jesus forever and shall be like Him. |
