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BS 46 - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
“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 someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Everyone competing goes into strict training. They work hard, disciplining themselves, and spend most of their time practicing. They do not become lazy, they fight through the exhaustion. Yet, their end result is a prize that will not last eternally. It’s earthly and worthless in the Kingdom of God. But 1 Corinthians tells us to be like that. To work hard, being disciplined, spending all our time training. To not become lazy. For our prize will last forever. Our prize is worth everything. 
“I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave”. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We have complete control over our bodies, but it’s so easy to fall into the desires of the flesh. Having godly discipline will help us overcome the desires of the flesh. We will make our bodies our slaves, and not letting the flesh control us. We’ll let the spirit control us. That way, what we preach to others will match up with our actions. Actions speak louder then words do, and we must show that. Let our actions and our lives be a testimony. Living in the spirit, not the flesh. Proving our words have meaning by our actions. 


Application: I’ll write actions>words on my arm as a reminder that my actions need to match up with what I say and that I need to be disciplined to live in the spirit. 

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