January 28

Have you ever considered the irony of 1 Corinthians 9:24? “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (New Living Translation)

Doesn’t it seem strange that in this Christian race, we are told that only 1 will win?!  Oftentimes, I have laughed when reading this passage.  My mind would instantly go to a competition with everyone else.  After all, if only one of us will win this race, then there are going to be an awful lot of Christians who are disappointed at the end of this whole thing!

Obviously, this cannot be the case.  We were not given this great Message to try and out-do our brothers and sisters for a single Grand Prize that only 1 person will receive.  In order to understand 1 Corinthians 9:24, you must understand your role in redemption…and your role in redemption is very small.

When the relationship with God was broken in Eden, man could no longer be in the presence of the very One who created him. Fellowship with the Almighty came to an abrupt end. With that severance came futility, for how could a creature so completely covered in unrighteousness restore a relationship with a righteous God?  The answer is without question: We can’t.

In order to be connected to God again, it took the actions of God Himself, not anything we could do.  The apostle Paul put it this way – He said if we could take everything good that we have ever done or could ever do and present it on a silver platter to God, the Lord would regard it as nothing more than dirty rags. Our efforts are useless to restore ourselves.

We know from Galatians 3:27 that, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”  This is the answer to 1 Corinthians 9:24.  When we are baptized, it is Christ who God now sees.  It is no longer you that is presented before the judgement of God, but it is Christ.  If you have been baptized into Christ, then you have PUT ON Christ.

Everyone in this world is running for the grand prize.  Many do not even know what they are trying to win, but nobody wants to lose.  Not one person wakes up in the morning desiring death and despair, pain and suffering, but all people want to end up in Heaven one day, even if they do not know what that Heaven is. But for those of us who have put on Christ, it is not us who are running, it is Him.  He has already run this race for us, and He has obtained the prize…you and I!  Only one will win, and it sure won’t be you and I.  If you want to end up winning at the culmination of this life, you need to put on Christ and let Him run for you.