All on the Field: A Good Athlete—Having Discipline - Tuesday
1 Corinthians 9:27
I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (NLT)
The 1985 Chicago Bears may be the best football team ever (at least, in my biased opinion). As the son of a sports fan from Illinois, my first real taste of NFL fandom happened the year they “shuffled” their way to a blowout win in the Super Bowl. Oddly enough, their star running back, Walter Payton, did not get into the end zone during the runaway game. Regardless, he stands as an all-time legend. He may be best known for what he did off the field, as there is now an annual award given in his name: “The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.” This award is given to someone in the National Football League that displays extraordinary philanthropy and/or impact in the community.
While he obviously made a big community impact as evidenced by this award, Walter Payton was also an outstanding player, and his offseason workouts were equally legendary. He trained in the offseason, running up a steep hill in Arlington Heights, Illinois, over and over again. In the summer, he ran sprints on the beach in his home state of Mississippi during the hottest part of the day! Imagine running up and down the beach for hours in all that heat and humidity. I need a Gatorade just thinking about it.
In describing what it looks like to pursue God and His Kingdom wholeheartedly, Paul gives Timothy the mental picture of an athlete competing to win. We know from Paul’s teaching throughout the New Testament that we don’t earn our salvation, but we can certainly endure by being disciplined in our walk with Jesus. This looks more like getting up early to read your Bible, or walking across the yard to help a neighbor when you’re ready to go inside. It takes the shape of getting up early every Sunday morning to go and teach kids about Jesus or driving to church on Wednesday nights to lead Southland Students in discussion after a long day of work. If we want to endure life’s difficulties and become more like Jesus, training ourselves is vital.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Is there some way you need to stretch yourself soon?
