Hi Church!
Do you like a smorgasbord? Do you like buffet style restaurants, like the Golden Corral? Many of us enjoy the wide selection of dishes to choose from, and typically, you can eat as much as you want! Who does not like that? Right! Most people really love it, and that is not necessarily wrong. Jesus himself said, “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” So if you see me and my family there, please do not judge us, lol!
However, the buffet style presents a temptation to the Olympian, and a real danger to those with certain health issues. They both understand, for different reasons, that they are not really “free” to eat any and everything. For example, this week I began training for the upcoming fall Florida savage race, and my wife is a type 1 diabetic. We eat nearly the same meals, but not for all the same reasons. I could eat anything, but I choose not to because I want to do well in a race. She could eat anything, but she chooses not to because she wants to keep her sugar at a healthy level. We all have to set restrictions on ourselves and show great self-control in life, if we are going to stay on a healthy and WINNING path.
Everybody wants to win ______________, fill in the blank. What do you want to Win? Last night I read about a man who caught the largest white Marlin in a fishing tournament in Ocean City, Maryland. The Superbowl in fishing. His prize? The 77.5 lb marlin that he caught won him $4.4 million dollars! Wow. But what does the second place winner receive, just over $100k. Paul says, we all run, but only one receives the prize. True! So, he says, “run to win it”! I Cor. 9:24 Go ALL IN FOR THE WIN.
So Paul says, “am I not free?” Yes, he was. And, so are we. Yet, Paul exercised unprecedented discipline and self-control so that he would WIN. He knew what he wanted to win in life. Most importantly, he wanted to win people to Jesus, and he wanted to do it God’s way. He avoided many of the pitfalls and temptations that people fall into.
He references the fact that most of God’s people in the OT displeased God and as a result died. Even while they were given great experiences with God, they blew it. He reminds us that their bodies were scattered in the wilderness (I Cor. 10:5) Paul says I hope their example gets your attention, because it was meant to. What did they do? They lusted after evil things, idolized, lived immorally, and complained about the lot that God had given them in life.
So what do you want to win in life? What are you running after? Are you on a winning path? What does the way that you spend your time and money say about your priorities? What are the greatest dangers that you face? This is an important message.
Join us on Sunday at 9:30 am as we learn from Paul the formula for winning life’s race!
In God’s Gracious Grip,
Pastor Michael