1 Corinthians 9:25 Inductive Bible Study: Discipline 3/25

1 Corinthians 9:25 says, "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."

Ok so yesterday's verse was about how to run the race. Today is about why you run the race: to win the prize. In a marathon, your goal is to win so that you can obtain the prize, which in Paul's day was a crown. A crown and the fame that comes with it fades. It won't last. If you're running a worldly race, you're always striving for a worldly crown. That "crown" could represent favor from people, a steady job, a big house or a lot of other things that we strive for but that ultimately all fade away. The crown that I am reaching for in heaven does not fade. I won't obtain it until I get to heaven but then I will never lose it.

I know that a lot of times, I used to get caught up in the temporal. I would be worried about the worldly race. I was always trying to win favor from people. In everything I did I wanted people to be happy with me. I wasn't putting their interests ahead of mine but thinking of myself because I wanted their favor. I wanted to help them so that they would be pleased with me. I was concerned for what they thought of me. This way of life is so consuming and intensely draining and so disappointing. I can't make everyone happy all the time. I will let people down because I'm human. But when instead I stopped making it about me and focusing on my need of always having favor with everyone and instead humbled myself and started considering others interests just because I love them and not thinking about what I am going to get out of it, it is so much more satisfying. There is so much more joy. That seems a little off topic but my point is that having favor with people is one of the earthly crowns that we strive for but it's temperate and it doesn't last. But when you change it instead to serving others and considering their interests above your own just because you love them, that's a way to run in such a way as to obtain the heavenly prize, and the heavenly prize doesn't fade; it's eternal.

This is just one example but I just want to make sure that in all things I have the heavenly, imperishable crown in view. I don't need to be discouraged when the race gets hard because the prize that I'm trying to win doesn't fade; it's everlasting life.

Application:
Today and tomorrow, I am going to write "imperishable crown" on my left hand to remind me what I am running the race to obtain.