D i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n

I Corinthians 9:24-27

Have you ever competed in track?  Do you remember running in a race and seeing someone caught running out of his lane?  Was that person disqualified?  That's what happens when one runs aimlessly.

The Apostle Paul uses that athletic metaphor in writing to his friends in Corinth at chapter 9 and verses 26 and 27 of his first letter.  There he says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  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.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

If one runs a race in an out of control or aimless way, he's disqualified, thrown out of the competition.  If we run out of our lanes, foul out or get ejected by an official, we're of no real use to our team.  Let's just stay in the game and give ourselves a chance to win.

In a larger way, our choices regarding life off the field of competition can lead to our being disqualified for really important matters like love, family and friends.  Make today's competition a model of disciplined effort and well aimed pursuit of excellence.

Bible Reading Plan:

Ephesians 5:22-33

Psalm 119:81-88

I Kings 17-18