Go
for the Gold!
The 2010 Special Olympics have just ended. They were held
in Lincoln, Nebraska this year and, as I watched the nightly news and the highlights from the games, I realized that all of
us, no matter our limitations, must press on to be all that we can be and do all that we can do! God has called us. And, whom God has called, He will also
equip. We limit God often by our own decisions that we are not going to press
on! Those special athletes taught me a valuable lesson! They exemplified pressing on and attaining the prize. I was
reminded of a scripture.
Philippians 3:14
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Each of us has a calling from God. That calling, according
to Scripture is a high calling, a heavenly calling. We are to press on toward the calling and strive for that goal. Paul talked about running the race, pressing toward the goal, and finishing the
race that was set before him.
2nd Timothy
4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
All of us must press on in the things of God. We are all
called to run!
1st Corinthians
9:24
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain
it.
Now this doesn’t mean that we are competing against one another.
We are all witnesses of God and each have a responsibility to bear that witness in our own calling. We are to encourage and push others on in the faith. We are
to put forth our maximum effort. As I watched the athletes in the Special Olympics,
one thing I noticed, they all were patting each other on the back, encouraging each other and pressing each other on to do
the best they could. You see, while they all strived to win first place, they
each knew that it was important that all finish the race. And, if that meant
slowing down to help someone slower, they would do it!
In like manner, we should also strive to make it to the finish line.
Sometimes, we may have to slow down a bit to help someone in their relationship with the Lord, but God will compensate
you as you do that! You see, you can never lose with God.
1st Corinthians
9:25
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.
While we will be rewarded for faithfully finishing the race of life when we arrive in the portals of
Heaven, we are also able to strive for the gold now! As we encourage and help
others along their journey, we are rewarded with blessings that are beyond compare.
As we reach out to others, our hearts are lifted and we have a more positive feeling about ourselves.
Just as a runner is rewarded for his efforts, so does God promise to reward us for our efforts! This is singleness of mind and putting your heart toward something. The greatest athletes in the world are those who put their entire heart into what they do!
1st Corinthians
3:14
If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
When we walk with Him and remain in Him, we will be blessed, both in this life and the one to come and
He shall reward us richly! So strive toward that heavenly calling and press on toward the mark and the goal in Christ Jesus!
All of us are called to be “special athletes” because God the Father
has a will and a blessed high calling for each and every one of His Children. With
that calling, when lived out, has rewards! God is waiting with open arms for
us to walk across the finish line to award us the gold crown! Press on and be
the best you can be! That’s all God asks!
