What The Olympic Games Can Teach About The Christian Life Pt. 4

As I watched the Olympic Games for the past few days, I saw where many times athletes would be given a red flag for some infraction and would have to be escorted from the event.  Although the majority of times these infractions were not deliberate, the rules still had to be obeyed, the athlete had to leave the event without protest, sometimes even with tears.

In yesterday's Scripture, the Apostle Paul declared that he would rather subject himself to disciplining of body and mind from evil lusts and disobedience. He didn't want to be disqualified from entering into heaven.   

Even in the life of a believer, there are rules that has to be followed.  For example:

• A believer must obey the laws of the land as long as it don't conflict with the laws of God. This includes paying taxes
• You must obey the rules in the place where you work and where you go to school. A young believer must obey what his teacher or the school authority tells him to, and an adult must do the job that his boss gives him to do
• Wherever a believer goes to church, he has placed himself under the authority of the senior pastor and those in leadership there.
• A child is required to obey his parents. This command brings rewards of long life, and things going well with him. He is subject to his parental protection and guidance until he grows up and leaves home.and get married.
• Of course, we must always obey the laws of God as set forth in the Bible.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and begin a relationship with Him and the other members of the Trinity, we should want to do what the Bible says. If we do, there are rewards now, and after we die. But just as if an athlete does not obeys the rule, he is disqualified, then if we continually disobey God (this is called sin) then we can expect to be disciplined. If we still continue to disobey God, then after a while God leaves us to continuing sinning. In the long run, sin disqualifies us from entering heaven and being with God forever. We end up in a place call hell, which I tell you, no one wants to go. So run the race to life God's wau so that you can finish victoriously and earn the rewards that I mentioned yesterday.

Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.  2  Timothy 2: 5 (NIV)