SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/16/2025 8:36 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Athlete”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
2 Timothy 2:5
Message of the
verse: “5 Also
if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes
according to the rules.”
This morning we move to the third figure that Paul
uses to illustrate characteristics of a strong spiritual life which is the
Athlete, this is a metaphor that Paul uses sever times in his letters.
MacArthur explains “The phrase competes
as an athlete translates the verb athieo which
means to contest, contend, wrestle, struggle.
The idea is that of a struggle that requires great determination to
win. Athletes struggle, contend,
compete, and strive to win.”
Now as we watch athletes compete
against one another, like at the Olympic Games, we can know that at times the
differences between first and second places is not always a matter of
talent. Think about the fable of the
tortoise and hare, as the less gifted athlete often surpasses another who is physically
superior and more experienced, simply by having a greater determination and
persistence.
Now I want to look at a story that
MacArthur uses in this section: “While
watching a decathlon meet between the United States, and Poland, and the
U.S.S.R., I asked a friend, who was coaching the American team, to identify the
best athlete among all those competitors.
He point to a slender, lithe young man, and I asked, ‘Do you think he
will win today?’ Surprisingly, he answered,
‘No.’ When I asked why, he pointed to another athlete and said, ‘He’s going to
win, because he has the greatest determination, the strongest will to win. He is the most mentally tough competitor I
have ever seen.’ Sure enough, he did win
that day. His name was Bruce Jenner, and
two years later he won the Olympic gold medal in the decathlon, which ranked
him as the greatest athlete in the world.”
There is more to the story about Bruce Jenner that is hard to really
understand, but if you are interested then look up his story on the internet.
Now when we talk about spiritual
competition it is, of course, not against other Christians. Trying to outperform another believer is far
from spiritual. Rather, our competition
is against our fleshly old self, against the world, and against Satan and those
who serve him. Also our goal is to “press
on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Phil. 3:14).
MacArthur points out that “Even the most gifted and
determined athlete, bringing the most effort to the struggle, however, does not
win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”
Now thinking about rules, in the Greek
games, which continued for centuries under Roman rule and they were still being
held in Paul’s time, every participant had to meet three qualifications—of birth,
of training, and of competition. The
first rule means that the athlete had to be a Greek, a true born Greek. Second, the athlete had to prepare at least
for ten months for the games, and then he had to swear to that before a statue
of Zeus. Third, he had to compete within
the specific rules for a given event.
Now to fail in any of those requirements meant automatic disqualification.
MacArthur adds “Comparable rules
apply to spiritual Christians. We must
be truly born again; we must be faithful in study and obedience of God’s Word,
in standards of discipleship.
Lord willing we will finish this
section in the next SD.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Following
those rules is very important in order to serve the Lord Jesus Christ while in
this world.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Trust the Lord to give me the desire to keep these rules so that I can
bring glory to the Lord.
1/16/2025 9:11
AM
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