Don't be Disqualified

Paul's goal is to keep his life under control (his body) so that he does not end up disqualified in the process of following Christ—a process that he compares to a race. "I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified," writes Paul (1 Cor 9.27). (In a misstep the KJV translates it: "should be a castaway," implying the plight of a shipwrecked sailor. The Greek word means to test and find unfit).

The salient point is that we ought to follow Paul's example here. We are no less obligated to keep our own bodies under control lest we be disqualified, lest we be tested and found unfit.

What is of True Value (Hint...Not my Life)

So says Paul in Acts 20.24. What is of true value to Paul (and by extension anyone who is a follower of Christ) is that he finishes the course—δρόμος, which means race, or a figurative expression for race and so means "mission" or "assignment." Paul's mission was of such importance that in comparison his own life was of little value. What was this important mission; this all-consuming assignment? To testify to the gospel of the grace of God. That's it, simple and straightforward. His message was that the good news is that the grace of God has come to all men through Jesus' death on our behalf. For this message he was willing to sacrifice all, even his own life.

Powerful. Are you willing to sacrifice all things? Am I?