What The Olympic Games Can Teach Us About The Christian Life Pt 3

 The first official Olympic Games was held in in 776 BC, but many Greeks believed that they started centuries earlier. The early Games consisted only of a running race, but later war chariot races and vigorous resistance  competition and boxing were added.  

 In the time of the Apostle Paul the Games were still alive, though on the decline. He seemed to have a great interest in the Games and in sports on the whole, and so used them to illustrate his sermons and letters about the believer's life in Christ. 

In the games, each athlete competed to win a prize. These days these prizes are medals of gold, silver and bronze. In Paul's time, the crown was made of a olive branch given to the winner of an event. Immediately after an athlete won his event, the herald would announce his name, father's name, and city of origin to the crowd. He was given a palm branch and adorned with red woolen ribbons around his head, arm, and leg as marks of victory as the crowd cheered wildly. Winning at the Olympic Games was an impressive feat. The winner was not only given wreath, a special victory song was written for him and was sung in a feast which lasted until the next day. Money was also given to the person.  At the end of the Games, the senor judge would again crown the winner with wreaths while the onlookers threw petals. An athlete who won an event brought prestige to himself, his family and his city of origin.

Paul tells us that we should run the race of faith that is set before us. We should run to receive the prize of eternal life.  As I said yesterday, all the athletes (both ancient and modern) adhere to strict diet, rigorous training and times of sleep so that they could win perishable prizes. Some give up having a family or other types of work just to compete in different games. So must the believer in Christ. As the verse of Scripture said yesterday, we should lay aside anything that distracts us from serving God, and any sin that will separate us from  Him, and live an effective Christian life. Then at God's right hand, we will get pleasure forevermore and fullness of jou in His presence.

Watch this link  Beating your body under

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (NIV)