Purpose
So I run with purpose in every step.
1 Corinthians 9:26
Do you have a purpose? People need purpose in their lives. Everyone is seeking something in this world. Often, what they find is not purpose but waste. We waste our time doing nothing and are lost in purposeless lives. Paul tells Christians that we all have a purpose. Not only do we have a purpose, but this purpose should help us in our human race. We should be running with purpose.
In the original Greek, Paul actually says that he does not run without certainty. In other words, he runs with purpose. Most of us run with certainty. We run away from something. We run to the finish line. We run to train our bodies or to stay in shape. It would unusual for a person to run without knowing why they are running. Paul uses this idea to discuss his spiritual life in Christ. We should be able to take several ideas from this simple verse. First, Paul is concluding his thoughts about reaching the world with the gospel. We are running with an eternal prize in mind. We want to reach everyone we meet with the good news of the gospel. This is why we run and this is our purpose as we run. We run to win the race God sets out for us IAW Hebrews 12.
Next, Paul uses the metaphor of race to help us understand that our lives are just like races athletes prepare for by training. We are in God’s Kingdom and that is not a life of leisure where we sit around and say, “life is good because I am saved.” No, a Christian’s life is just like an athlete who continues to discipline and train over the course of their lives in order to win the prize of salvation not just for us, but for the others that we meet and help to find God. We are in it to win it, but our victory is a win for God and those that decide to join us in the Kingdom’s race to the finish line.
Finally, Paul gives Christians purpose. Our goal is to live the Great Commission as we compete in our human race. We do this by being dedicated, disciplined, and devoted. We are devoted to God and therefore we are willing to go the extra mile. We are disciplined so we can go the extra mile. And we are dedicated to being in the race in the first place. A Christian cannot just talk about being in the race but we must actually get on the course and run.
All of us are called to get in the race for salvation. The Great Commission is not just a suggestion. It is a definition of who we are as Christians. We must pick up our cross and follow Jesus in the race of life. Salvation is at the finish line.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27
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